You've Been Holding My Heart All Along
by marsupial1974
Summary: AU- Emily loves Naomi, but it's a secret Naomi doesn't know. Naomi loves Emily, but Emily doesn't have a clue. A study in what happens when you fall in love with the girl next door and try to hold on to your heart. It sounds awful, but give it a try, yeah?
1. Chapter 1: The Girl Next Door

**Please don't ask... I have no idea why I'm torturing myself like this... Oh yeah, know I remember why!**

 **Again, I don't own Skins and/or Skins characters...what I do own is 5 guitars, 1 piano and a cat!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Girl Next Door**

The car drove up the street, shining it's lights straight into the window. The girl at the desk sighed in frustration, looking down at the photographs that she had placed on her desk. She had been going through them, picking out the ones she wanted to take with her. Usually, the lights didn't bother her, but tonight they did, because this would be the fourth night in a row that _she_ went out.

 _She_ was Naomi, goddess divine, a golden angel, the temptress and the devil, all rolled into one.

Actually, that wasn't quite accurate. She was just the girl who lived next door. Just a normal girl, who had flaws and faults. God knew she had her faults, but it seemed as if everyone overlooked them. No one ever wanted to point them out for fear that she would disappear.

' _No one ever saw the real Naomi._ ' She thought, as she watched the girl herself walk out of the house, turning around to say something to her mum, before sashaying down the path to where Lisa waited, leaning against the bonnet of her car.

Lisa was a tall redhead, with green eyes and was, in Naomi's own words, drop dead gorgeous. Lisa was slim and built, with legs that went on for miles, but the girl wasn't impressed at all with her.

Naomi brought Lisa home to meet her mum about three months ago, but she knew that Naomi had been seeing the redhead for almost a year.

The longer Naomi and Lisa were together, the more it bothered her. She didn't like anything about Lisa, not the car she drove, or the job she had. Nothing about Lisa's body excited her and she hated that smug look of satisfaction on the redhead's face. In fact, she was pretty certain that she hated Lisa, full stop.

She continued her own certain brand of torture by watching Lisa grab Naomi roughly and pull her in for the filthiest kiss she had ever witnessed. And that's saying a lot, because she'd been stealing her best mate's porn stash. Well, it's not really stealing if he knows she takes it, but Cook never says a thing about it, so she doesn't either.

After what seemed like hours, but was in fact only a couple of minutes, Lisa allowed Naomi to come up for air, and she ushered Naomi into the car.

She stood up from her desk, leaving the photos and walked over to the window, placing her palms flat against the pane of glass, leaning forward so her forehead rested against it as well, and watched as the woman of her dreams drove off down the road. She stood there, like a pathetic lovesick fool, until the tail lights disappeared around the corner.

She sighed again, as she continued to look out the window, pulling her gaze from the street, back over to Naomi's house.

Naomi's bedroom was right next to hers, and when she was little, her and Naomi would sit in their open windows and talk about the future. Naomi was a few years older than she was, so she would listen to Naomi talk all about school, then college, until finally Naomi went to Uni.

It was during one of those talks, oddly enough, when Naomi told her that she liked girls. Naomi's confession made her heart jump, because she knew she'd had feelings for the blonde, when she was about twelve almost thirteen, she just knew. She had all these grand plans about telling Naomi how she had felt, but then Naomi dropped her bomb.

 _She had met a girl that first week at college. Sophia. Naomi was so happy and she glowed. Everything was Sophia this and Sophia that. For months, Sophia was all Naomi could talk about. They dated the whole time they were in college, while she was still in secondary school. And while it pained her to see Naomi with someone else, she only wanted Naomi to be happy, so she never said anything to the blonde._

 _Once or twice, she almost let it slip, but she knew to reign in those feelings, because Naomi was older and she didn't want the blonde to laugh at her. And she thought she might've had a chance when Naomi came home one day, early in the morning during her last few weeks of college._

 _She had been sitting at her desk, when she saw Naomi stagger up the pavement, hair all over the place, and tears streaming down her face. She jumped up quickly, practically smashing her face against the window, trying to get a better look. Sure enough, the blonde was crying, her face glistened in the early morning sunlight._

 _Naomi was about to head up to her house, but then she looked up and caught her standing there, staring down, and she could almost hear the blonde sob loudly._

 _She had no control over her feet, as they led her down the stairs, out the side door and they didn't stop until she was right in front of the blonde._

 _"Naoms, what happened? What's wrong?" She had asked, but instead of an answer, she got an armful of her dream girl. She couldn't do anything except wrap her own arms around the crying girl._

 _Naomi just cried, so she led them into the back garden and she sat the blonde down, keeping hold of her. And even though Naomi was in a fair amount of emotional pain, she couldn't help but sink into the hug, and maybe once or twice sniff the cherry and almond scent that seemed to belong to the blonde. She was only human after all, so she took what she could get._

 _They both sat there for a little bit, until Naomi's tears dried, but even then she didn't ask the questions racing through her head. She knew Naomi had heard her, so she would answer when she was ready._

 _It took three fags and almost an hour before Naomi finally opened up._

 _"Sophia cheated on me." Naomi sounded so broken, so unloved that it broke her heart. "She told me last night."_

 _"I'm...so...god, Naomi, I'm so sorry." She replied, shock and rage warring inside of her. "Why?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice. "Is she stupid or mental?" Anger ran through her like a wildfire. Anger at Sophia for breaking Naomi's heart._

 _Naomi teared up again, but she wiped them away, lighting up another fag. "That's just it! I don't know why, she wouldn't tell me!" Naomi said as she cuddled back into the other girl's arms._

 _She was gonna tell her then, as they sat there. She let Naomi get everything out into the open, the whole relationship, how hard Naomi tried to make it work, but Sophia had a wandering eye, and Naomi couldn't help the jealousy that would creep in. But what really topped it off was when Sophia kept cancelling their plans, and she had stopped coming around every day._

 _Naomi had gone to an open day at Goldsmiths in London the day before, where she had met a girl by the name of Lucy. Strangely enough, Lucy attended the same school as Naomi, but they didn't run in the same circles, so they knew nothing about each other, or so Naomi thought._

 _Lucy had a secret that she was dying to share with Naomi, and on the train ride home that evening, Lucy sang like a canary._

 _When Naomi got off the train she headed straight for Sophia's house, already dreading the confrontation. Lucy had told Naomi how her and Sophia had been sleeping together for about five months, but Sophia was afraid to break it off with the blonde for fear that she wouldn't take it well and do something drastic. Naomi laughed at the girl, calling her a liar, but when she stood in front of Sophia and asked her about Lucy, the brunette didn't even have the decency to look ashamed, and that's when Naomi knew. Everything Lucy had said was true. Naomi could feel her heart shatter in to tiny little pieces._

 _"Never again, yeah?" Naomi stated, pulling the girl from her thoughts of telling Naomi how she felt. "Never again will I give my heart to someone else to break it!"_

 _The conviction in Naomi's voice slammed the lid shut tight on the girl's declaration as it died in her throat._

As she stood in the window, thinking about that day four years ago, she sighed again. "Looks like she's found someone to break through her walls." She said out loud to herself, feeling her own heart break at the thought.

She was about to turn and go back to her desk, when she caught a movement in Naomi's kitchen window, and when she looked down, she saw Gina, Naomi's mum standing there looking up at her, with a sad wistful look on her face, but then the older woman smiled at her and waved.

She waved back, sadly, and then turned around, leaving Gina staring at a blackened empty window.

* * *

"Alright kiddo, this is the last of it, I think." Rob Fitch brought the last box out to the kerb, as Emily stood at the boot of the SUV, where she was trying to get everything packed in.

"Thanks, Dad. Where's Katie?" She looked between her mum and dad.

"I think she went to say goodbye to Danny." Her mum, Jenna, stated in disgust. "Do me a favour, love...try and get your sister to meet a nice boy."

"Mum, you know as well as I do, that Katie does what Katie wants to do." Emily said, laughing. "Besides, why would she listen to me about guys?"

Jenna chuckled along with her, and grabbed her into a big hug. "A mother's gotta try, right? Besides, you know what to look for, just because you're a lesbian doesn't mean you don't know a decent guy when you see one."

"I keep telling her to date Cook, but she says he's not good enough for her." Emily said with a shrug.

"Well sure, he's rough around the edges, but he has manners and he would do anything for you girls." Rob added, earning an agreement from Jenna.

"Yeah, but you know how she is."

"Listen, I want the both of you to concentrate on your studies, do hear me?" Jenna stated firmly, a sudden feeling of sadness washing over her.

"I can't guarantee Katie will focus on her schoolwork, but you can count on me, mum." Emily said quietly as she wrapped her arms around her mum.

"I'm really gonna miss you, you know that?" Jenna said in a watery voice.

"I'm gonna miss you too, mum." Emily kissed her on the cheek.

She pulled away, and grabbed the box her dad brought out, preparing to put it in the SUV, when she heard her name being called out.

"Emily Fitch! Don't you think you're going to get out of here without saying goodbye!" Gina hollered out, as she came out of her front door.

Emily smiled a wide smile, as she watched the older woman walk across her yard. "Never in a million years, Gina." She rushed to meet her halfway, and was wrapped up into a warm, big hug, the only kind that Gina Campbell knew how to give. When Emily was younger, and was left behind on occasion by Naomi, Gina was the one who would come out and sit with her, bringing her cookies and milk, treating her as if she was important. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'm really gonna miss you too." She whispered to Gina.

"Oh, my beautiful girl. You're gonna shine at Uni, you know that, right?"

"I doubt that, but thank you."

"Nonsense! Don't argue with me, young lady!" Gina wagged her finger in Emily's face, causing the girl to laugh.

"Hello, Gina! I've got the kettle on, fancy a cuppa?" Jenna said, stepping over to her and Emily.

"Oh, don't you guys have to get going?" Gina asked.

"Not for a while yet, we're waiting on Katie to get back. And besides, Cook is driving them to London." Jenna said, casually. "James is at Gordon's house, so it'll just be me and Rob at home for the night!" She explained with a wink, causing Gina to laugh and Emily to fight holding her breakfast down.

"Mum! TMI!" Emily said, blushing at the thought of her parents getting it on.

Jenna and Gina just laughed at the younger twin's embarrassment.

"Sure, I'd love a cup, but could you give me a moment with Emily?" Gina asked, smiling at Jenna.

"Of course. Come in when you're ready." She said heading into the house, leaving Emily and Gina alone.

"I meant it, Emily, I'm really gonna miss you."

"It's only Uni, Gina. It's not like I'm going to another planet." Emily replied, but she felt really good about Gina's words. She had grown up with the older woman, and she was just as much of a mother to her as Jenna was.

When Emily was sixteen, she was having a rough time, holding in her feelings for Naomi and trying to really come to terms with her sexuality, that she was at the end of her rope.

 _She had raided her dad's liquor cabinet and her mother's sleeping pills and went out to the garden, deciding that she was sick of being alone. She had knocked back half a bottle of vodka, and was about to swallow a handful of the pills, when Gina had rushed out._

 _"EMILY FITCH! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Gina screamed at her in a way she had never screamed at her before._

 _Emily's hand froze halfway to her mouth, six little white pills clutched there, as she started shaking in fear._

 _Gina grabbed her hand and pried open her fingers, then flipped her hand over, and Emily watched the pills fall to the ground. "You march your little bum into the house, right this minute!" She pointed to Naomi's house, and Emily shook her head. "Don't you dare argue with me, young lady!"_

 _"I don't want Naomi to see me." Emily said, quietly, as tears streamed down her face._

 _"She's not home, you silly cow. Now get moving!"_

 _Gina pulled her into the house, sat her down at the worn kitchen table, and poured two cups of tea. "You need to sober up this instant and tell me what that was all about." She said, as she sat down across from her._

 _"What does it matter? No one cares!" Emily cried out. "No one cares."_

 _"That's the biggest load of shite I've ever heard! Did you stop to think about anyone else before you made your grand plan?" Gina scoffed at her._

 _"No."_

 _"Oh, so not only are you inconsiderate, you're also a selfish twat!"_

 _"You don't understand!" Emily yelled back at her._

 _"So what do you think happened? I went from a babe to an adult, without any of the years in between? Like I've never been a confused, scared sixteen year old?" Gina levelled her gaze, locking eyes with Emily's._

 _"No, but-,"_

 _"No buts, Emily." Gina said firmly, but her voice had softened. "Why don't you tell me what's going on, love."_

 _Emily didn't say anything for the longest time, afraid of what Gina's reaction would be, not that she though Gina would disapprove, because her own daughter was gay, after all, but it was hard to admit it out loud to anyone._

 _Gina didn't push. She knew that it had to be on Emily's terms._

 _Finally, Emily took a breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out, along with the words that were floating around her head. "I'm like Naomi." She said, closing her eyes, to avoid looking at Gina._

 _"Oh, so you're an emotionally retarded fuckwit too?" Gina asked, straight-faced._

 _The response was not what Emily expected. "What? No! I'm gay!"_

 _"And?"_

 _"And...I'm gay?" Emily repeated, suddenly confused._

 _"That's what that was in the garden? You're gay, so you're going to kill yourself?" Gina scoffed, disgusted at Emily's thought pattern. "Well, that's mature!" She said as she got up to get more tea._

 _"It's not like I can tell anyone, is it? My parents won't understand, Katie will go ballistic and Na-," she threw her hand over her mouth, cutting herself off from saying anything more embarrassing._

 _"It's not about Katie, your parents," Gina glanced back at her, "or Naomi, it's about you and the fact that you feel you have no one that cares for you."_

 _"What does it matter?"_

 _"It matters because people love you, you stupid girl!" Gina didn't lose her temper often, and because she didn't, it was all the more effective when she did. "No matter what you think, you do have people that love you and would be very heartbroken if you weren't here."_

 _"My family, sure, but they have to love me." Emily sipped her tea, waiting for Gina to get sick of the conversation and chuck her out._

 _"How do you think I would feel if you weren't here?" Gina sat next to Emily, taking the girl's hands in her own. "Or better yet, how do you think Naomi would feel?"_

 _Emily rolled her eyes at the last question. "Like she cares."_

 _"Of course she does, Emily. You're her best friend!"_

 _"No I'm not. She doesn't even come to the window anymore." Emily said, as a few tears slipped out._

 _Gina brushed them aside, and held Emily's chin up. "Now you listen to me, and you listen to me good, Emily Jane Fitch! You are her best friend, and you have been since she was twelve. You think I don't know that it was you she first came out to? And I know for a fact that you were the one to offer her comfort when she found out about Sophia! So don't you sit there and belittle my baby's feelings! Just because she doesn't show 'em anymore, doesn't mean that they aren't there." Gina's eyes softened, as Emily stare at her. "So how many people is that?"_

 _Emily blinked, confusion on her face, in fact, this whole conversation felt surreal and she was beginning to wonder if maybe she did swallow those pills after all. "I'm sorry...what? How many people what?_

 _"How many people would miss you if you were gone?" Gina asked slowly, as if she was dealing with a small child with special needs. "Go on, name them off."_

 _Emily sighed. She could tell Gina wasn't about to let it go, so she sat up in her chair and started naming everyone in her family, along with Gina herself._

 _"And Naomi." Gina added. "So that's seven people, oh, and let's not forget about your friend Cook. So eight people would miss you terribly."_

 _"But I'll never be able to tell them." Emily looked down at the table, shame filling her. "It'll always be my dirty little secret."_

 _Gina was shocked by the words. "What makes you think you can't tell your family?"_

 _"I don't think they'd understand, Gina. I think they'd be disappointed in me."_

 _Gina hugged her again. "Silly, silly girl. You're not even giving them a chance, and that's not fair. You're parents help out kids everyday for this same reason." Gina paused, pulling away slightly, to look at her again. "Do you think your mum sits in that office all day long, passing judgement on the youth of this city? She deals with this stuff all the time, kids that leave home or that are forced to leave home, because their parents won't love a gay child! How many young kids, like yourself, have walked through her doors? Hundreds! So why not talk to them first before you judge them?"_

 _"I'm afraid to." Emily said quietly, trying hard to hold back her tears._

 _"I'll tell you what, when your mum and dad get home, we'll go over and talk to them. I'll be right beside you the whole time, yeah?"_

 _"Really? You'll stay with me?"_

 _Gina smiled at her, placing a kiss on her forehead, and said, "Of course I'll stay with you."_

 _"And can you promise me one thing?" Emily asked, shyly._

 _"Anything within reason."_

 _"Can you not tell Naomi? I just don't want her to know, okay?"_

 _Gina was confused about the request, unable to figure out why she would make it. "If that's what you want, although that's not being fair to Naomi, but I won't say anything." Emily smiled then, as she hugged Gina._

 _It was about an hour later, when Gina had seen Rob and Jenna come home, so she gathered up Emily and they made the walk to the Fitch home._

Thinking back on it now, standing with Gina, Emily realised that she had never said thank you, all those years ago.

"Thank you, Gina." Emily hugged her tight. "For everything you've ever done for me, thank you."

Gina was surprised for a split second, before relaxing into the hug. "I don't like her either." She whispered to Emily.

"What?" Emily asked as she pulled away from the older blonde.

Gina smiled at her. "I saw you last night, in your window? If looks could kill, Lisa'd be dead right now." She smirked, as Emily turned red. "But don't worry, like I said, I don't like her either, and mark my words, she won't be around much longer."

Just then, the blue door on the yellow house next door flew open, and Naomi came flying outside.

"Ems! Oh, thank Christ you haven't left yet." She said, looking flushed and beautiful. "I thought I had missed you." She smiled, and Emily had to hold on to Gina to stay standing.

"No...um, no, not for another hour or so. We're waiting for Katie to get back." Emily stuttered out.

"Right...let me guess, she went to say goodbye to Danny?" She said with a smirk.

"You got it. Also, Cook hasn't shown up yet, so...," Emily trailed off, feeling odd talking about about Cook with Naomi.

Naomi didn't like Cook, but Emily couldn't understand why. "Oh, your boyfriend's going with you? How sweet."

"I'm gonna go in for tea." Gina said, but neither girl was listening. She shook her head as she walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

Emily cocked her head, listening to Naomi's words. They sounded sincere, but underneath the sincerity was a layer of disgust. You had to being fluent in Naomi-speak to hear it, and Emily was very fluent in Naomi-speak.

She knew she should have corrected Naomi all those years ago, when Emily first introduced Cook to her, when she got the impression that Cook was her boyfriend, but she didn't and as more time went on, she found that she couldn't. Cook was her shield against Naomi. He knew it too, because everyone knew that she was in love with Naomi. Everyone except Naomi.

"He's...um, just driving us. Mum and dad are letting us use the SUV, and he'll bring it back Sunday." Emily explained.

Naomi didn't say anything right away, seeming to be in thought, but then she smiled again. "So, are you getting nervous?"

Emily sighed, happy to be off the Cook subject, and then rolled her eyes. "Naomi, you've been asking me that ever since I got my acceptance letter!"

Naomi nudged Emily with her shoulder, causing the younger girl to laugh. "I know, but I was really bricking it my first semester, and I just wanna make sure I'm not the only one. C'mon, you can tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Not at all, I'm more excited than I thought I'd be, actually." Emily said, and while it wasn't necessarily a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either.

Naomi's grin morphed into a full fledged smile, as Emily looked at her.

Emily had been accepted into Naomi's alma mater, Goldsmiths', which had pleased the blonde when she found out. They had spent the last couple of months together, with Naomi giving her tips and pointers, telling her about the best places to eat and study, which classes she'd be taking, which teachers were cool and which ones were wankers.

It had been the best time of Emily's life. How she wished she had gotten to spend everyday of her life with Naomi. Emily wanted it so badly, that it almost hurt. But she knew that Naomi had Lisa now, so she didn't need her.

"Hey, I've got a great idea! How about I ride with you guys?" Naomi said quickly.

"What? You wanna drive to London with us?" Emily asked, unsure of how she felt about that.

Naomi shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I think it'd be cool. We could get you both sorted and then I'll take you all out to dinner, whatdya say?"

"Don't you have a date with Lisa tonight?"

Naomi shook her head, but Emily saw her eyes cloud over at the mention of the redhead. "Nope! I told her that today was a no girlfriend day because I had to spend it with my best mate." She smiled at Emily, making the younger girl feel a fluttering in her stomach.

Emily was very conflicted about Naomi's suggestion, but in the end, her need to be around Naomi would always win out, so she agreed, telling Cook and Katie about the new arrangement when they finally showed up.

"Alright, but you're sitting in the back seat with Campbell, Emsy! I don't want her lesbianism to rub off on me."

"Is that alright, Cook?" Naomi asked, in sweet voice, smiling at him.

Emily smiled to herself, as she translated what Naomi really meant, while Cook said he didn't mind. He merely smiled and winked at Emily, then they all piled into the large Range Rover, and made they're way to London.

For awhile they played I Spy, but Katie quickly grew bored of that and started waffling on about her school. She had gotten into SFD London, while taking some journalism classes as well, at another smaller school. Katie had never said it, but Emily knew deep down, she didn't feel she was good enough to get into Goldsmiths'.

Naomi had set them up with the lady who owned a block of flats, and had actually called the woman and arranged for the twins to let her old flat. Emily thought it was one of the sweetest things Naomi had ever done for her, Katie just thought it was well cool to have their own place.

 _"Trust me, Ems, you're gonna thank me when you see the size of the dorm rooms." Naomi had told her, when Emily went to protest_.

"So Campbell, how come you're not working today?" Katie asked from the front seat. "Aren't you usually a slave to the grind during the week?"

"Aww, Katie, I didn't know you cared." Naomi responded, earning a giggle from Emily.

"I don't! I was just wondering is all. Don't get any fucking ideas, got it lezza?" Katie snapped back. She never understood Emily's fascination with the blonde. Naomi was a moody, sarcastic cow.

When her and Emily were younger, she made sure that Emily was stuck to her like glue because Katie thought they were the same, but the more she started hanging around Naomi, Emily's real personality came out. It honestly scared Katie. But then Emily came home one night with Gina, and everything changed.

Emily had begged all of them not to say anything to Naomi, so they promised that it was Emily's place to tell her, not theirs, but that was a couple years ago, and Katie was getting sick and tired of keeping her secret. She was actually about to burst holding it in, but in the end, Katie didn't want Emily mad at her so she never said a thing.

They finally arrived in London, following Naomi's directions to the flat. Once they pulled up out front, and got out of the car, Katie about died. She gushed over the beautiful old brick building that was going to be her home.

"So I take it you approve?" Naomi asked the older twin, smirking.

"Of course I approve, this is gorgeous!" She exclaimed, taking in the beauty of the tree lined street, it was quiet, but not so far out of the city that you couldn't go clubbing whenever you felt like.

Naomi watched as Emily looked around with a smile on her face. "Alright, let's get you guys sorted, yeah?" She said, walking up the path leading to the front door.

Emily waited with her, as Naomi knocked on the door. After a few minutes, the door was flung open and an older blonde stood there, smiling at Naomi.

"Oh my god, Naomi Campbell, where the fuck have you been?" She screamed, flinging her arms around the girl. "I thought I was never gonna see your face again!"

Naomi was laughing and smiling with the woman, as they hugged each other. "Calm down, Anthea! It's only been a few months, yeah?"

"Alright, I'll let you off lightly for now, but don't stay gone so fucking long, either of you!" The older woman said, wagging a finger in Naomi's face. She glanced past Naomi, spotting Emily. "And you! You promised you'd draw my portrait!" She stepped out, grabbing Emily into a tight embrace. "Damn, girl! You make me feel old." She exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Sorry, Anthea. My mum and dad kept me busy at the center." Emily explained.

Emily had met Anthea and her daughter when Naomi was at Uni. She would come visit at least once a month, basking in the glory of Naomi's undivided attention. Naomi and her flatmate, Effy, would take her out and sneak her into some of the clubs around town.

"Oh, don't mind me, I just really missed our Sunday morning tea. So, you must be Katie." She addressed the older twin.

"Yes, ma'am." Katie blushed under Anthea gaze, feeling like the older woman was trying to read her soul.

"Good, lovely!" Anthea exclaimed suddenly. "Let's get your man candy over there to bring your bags in, and I'll show you the flat."

Emily, Naomi and Katie chuckled, while Cook grumbled good-naturedly, but went to the boot and started unloading.

Anthea led the twins up, but Naomi opted to help Cook, drawing a speculative look from Emily, but she didn't say anything.

* * *

The final two days that Emily spent with Naomi, were easily the best two days of her life to date. True to her word, Naomi helped them settle into their new flat, then took them to Katie's school, and showed her around there. She took them all to dinner at her favourite diner, introducing the twins to the owner, a very lovely man by the name of Francis. After dinner, they hit a couple of clubs, Naomi bypassing all the gay ones, thinking that neither Katie or Cook would have fun. They crawled into the flat around two in the morning, Naomi and Cook each dragging a twin on their arm.

Emily remembered slightly waking up to Cook telling Naomi to just sleep in her bed, he'd take the couch. She thought she had dreamt that part, feeling sure that Cook would never put her in that kind of awkward situation. But sure enough, when she cracked her eyes open the next morning, blonde hair was spread out on the pillow next to her.

She scrunched her eyes shut tight and prayed she hadn't done anything stupid, like tell Naomi how she felt or kissed her or worse. Gently she lifted the covers up and glanced underneath, breathing out a sigh of relief after finding them both fully clothed.

Naomi woke up at the sound, looking over and smiling at her.

"Sorry, Naoms. I didn't mean to wake you." She said, feeling her stomach flutter at the absolutely beautiful look on Naomi's face.

"S'no problem, Ems." Naomi replied sleepily as she yawned and stretched, letting out a small moan, causing heat to pool between Emily's thighs, and she knew she had to get up. "How long have you been up?"

Emily threw back the covers and almost jumped out of bed, causing a throbbing in her head to start.

"Fuck!" Emily moaned as she put her head in her hands, making Naomi chuckle behind her.

The blonde climbed over to where she sat on the edge of the bed, placing her hands on Emily's shoulders and started massaging, trying to help relieve the pain. "Gonna have to learn to run with the big girls, Ems! University is a whole different game."

Emily stiffened up at Naomi's touch, but quickly relaxed as her hands loosened her muscles. "God, Naoms, that feels really good." Emily's voice was huskier than normal, sounding weird in her own ears.

"Maybe I should change jobs, yeah?" Naomi quipped, causing Emily to jump when the words came as an almost whisper, close to her ear.

She had to swallow a couple of times before she could say anything, as her heart started pounding harder. "Um, yeah, you could do." Emily thanked every deity she could think of that she didn't stutter. "But you'd probably get pretty bored."

"I don't think so, Ems, think of all the hot girls I'd be able to get my hands on." Naomi pointed out with a laugh, making Emily grimace.

"Yeah, I guess." Quietly, Emily replied, hoping Naomi didn't notice the difference.

Naomi stopped her ministrations, and jumped off the bed. "Hey, how 'bout we hit a couple of my favourite clubs tonight?" She proposed, a look of mischief in her eyes. "That is if Katie don't mind it."

Emily instantly remembered Naomi bringing her to a couple of gay clubs while she was here. Suddenly her face lit up, as she forgot about her fading headache.

"Alright, but you've got to promise not to say anything to her, got it?" Emily told her, giggling at the thought of Katie's face when she found out.

Naomi stuck out her pinky finger, holding up until Emily linked her own with it. "Pinky swear."

Emily felt her heart melt at the old habit that they used to do when they were younger. "Pinky swear."

"C'mon, I'm taking you to breakfast." Naomi said, slipping her worn out Vans on. "Wanna wake up the terrible twosome?"

Emily thought about it for a minute. "Nah, let 'em sleep. Besides, I wanna spend some alone time with my best friend." She said, earning a wide smile and a hug from Naomi.

"Let's go then."

Naomi took her to a small dive, about a block from the university, where they sat and ordered breakfast, meat for Emily and veggie for Naomi. They sat and reminisced about when they were younger, Naomi teasing Emily often and Emily in turn pointed out all of Naomi flaws, causing the blonde to blush, a lot.

After they devoured their food, Naomi took Emily for a full tour of Goldsmiths'. Emily was amazed at everything she learned. She had a feeling that, while she was going to miss Naomi something fierce, Emily would enjoy her time here.

Later that night, Naomi and Emily escorted Katie and Cook to small club, buried deep in the heart of London, where Naomi used to go a lot, and the blonde stayed true to her word and didn't say anything to Katie.

Cook noticed straight away, but after a quick word with Emily, he merely went to the bar and got the drinks in. As they waited for his return, a tall, curvy woman came over to the table.

"Well hello, Angel." She smiled at Katie, who looked confused. "Can I invite you for a dance? Or a drink? At my place maybe?" The woman was cheeky, and Emily couldn't hold it in anymore, and burst out laughing at the look that now covered her sister's face.

"What the actual fuck?" Katie glared at her, before turning to look at Emily and Naomi.

"I think she'll take a rain check." Naomi was the one to reply, smirking at the woman, who finally noticed the others sitting at the table.

When she clocked on to Emily, her eyes widened at the sight of twins, and Naomi, Emily and Cook could all see the thoughts running through her head.

"Well, how 'bout you?" The woman said as sexily as possible, as she turned her gaze to Emily, oblivious to the glares from both Katie and Naomi. "You wanna join me for a little fun?"

"Back off!" Naomi practically growled at the stranger, as Katie bristled, preparing to kick the shit out of the woman.

Emily couldn't be sure, but it almost felt as if Naomi looked jealous, and that made her ridiculously happy.

"I'm not talking to you, Barbie!" The stranger snapped, glaring at Naomi.

Emily saw the warning signs that Naomi was about to lose it, so she placed her hand on Naomi's thigh, squeezing gently, then turned to the woman.

"Maybe another time, yeah? I'm just having a night with my mates." Emily explained, hoping to defuse the situation before Naomi or Katie exploded. "We'd really like to be alone, but thanks."

The stranger finally got the hint, unable to ignore the looks from Naomi and Katie anymore, smiled at Emily and then turned and went back to the dance floor, leaving the four of them alone.

Once the woman was gone, Katie turned to Emily and Naomi. "What the fuck? Did you bring me to a gay bar?" She screamed over the music.

"It's one of the best clubs in London, Katie." Naomi stated, eyes smiling, as Emily giggled beside her.

Katie sputtered in indignation at the thought of getting hit on. "Fuck you, Campbell! Let's get out of here."

"Listen, Katie, just have a drink, watch the crowd and if any big bad lesbian comes over, snog the face off of Cook!" Emily explained, drawing a glance from Naomi. "They won't leave you alone, but at least they'll think you're with someone and won't be as pushy."

"Great idea, Emily!" Katie snapped at her, as she scooted out of the booth they were sitting in, turning to Cook. "Come dance with me." It was a command, not a request, but Cook jumped at the chance, and scrambled after her.

Naomi watched the whole exchange, before turning to stare at Emily.

"What?" The redhead asked.

"You just told your sister to snog your boyfriend." Naomi said in shock and disbelief, shaking her head.

"Yeah well, it'll never happen, so I've got nothing to worry about, do I?" Emily sipped her drink, posing the question. "You know Katie can't stand him, so...,"

"Really? Cause it looks like she's standing him now." Naomi pointed toward the dance floor where Katie had Cook in a lip lock already.

Emily merely looked on with interest, knowing that she should at least pretend to be jealous, but she couldn't drum up the energy to pretend. She shrugged her shoulder, then turned back to face Naomi, picking up her pint and taking another drink. "Well, I did tell her to."

Naomi laughed at her logic, taking a drink from her own pint. After a few minutes, Emily stood up, holding out her hand toward the blonde. "Dance with me?" She asked politely.

Naomi smiled at her, took her hand and allowed Emily to pull her out to the floor.

The night ended almost like the night before. The four of them drinking and having a good time. Katie got over being pissed about the gay bar, and shouted a "hell yeah!" when Naomi suggested another one across town.

They all staggered back to the flat in the early hours of the morning, with Naomi once again falling into bed with Emily.

When Cook and Naomi left that afternoon, to head back to Bristol, Emily cried as she goodbye to her two best friends and watched them head down the street.

"C'mon, Emsy." Katie placed her arm around her sister, pulling her into the flat. "It'll be alright, I've got a feeling I won't be able to get rid of Campbell that easy."

Emily laughed at that, knowing that Katie thought she was stupid for not telling Naomi about herself, and she really couldn't explain why she still kept it a secret. But deep down she felt Naomi would pity her if she knew, so Emily didn't say anything at all.

When she closed her eyes that night, sleep didn't come easy as thoughts of Naomi swirled in her head along with thoughts of three years of freedom, where she didn't have to hide herself from the one person she loved with all her heart.

* * *

 **Okay...another story started...hmm...imagine that.**

 **Let me know what you think...**

 **Marci**


	2. Chapter 2: Memories and Reality

**A/N:** **Okay peeps, next chapter from Naomi's POV... I'm sorry about the length, but kinda not sorry, if you know what I mean...Naomi had a lot happen...**

 **Thanks to Tofu9162 for the help she gave me on this...You're the best! I hope it looks alright. **

**Okay, I know I haven't said this in a bit, but I wanna thank all of you who read/fave/alert and review... You guys are totally awesome! I know we all write these stories for ourselves first and foremost, but knowing that you guys are reading them? Reviewing them? That just makes it all the better, because it makes it real... So thank you to all of you, from the bottom of my heart:)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Skins, I make no money from this or any of my stories...as if that was ever a question... All typos/grammatical errors are mine, all mine!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Memories and Reality**

 _A loud bang followed by curses woke her up, causing her to grumble._

 _It was summer vacation and that meant sleeping! Eleven year old Naomi threw off her covers, storming out of bed and over to the window to see what was going on._

 _There was a large lorry in between her house and the blue house next door, which had been empty since she was nine, and four large guys were unloading furniture, but it looked like one of them had dropped a large table._

 _"Jesus, Doug! Watch it, will ya!" Another man yelled at him. "You know the missus is standing over there watching every move we make!"_

 _"Sorry, Johnny. It slipped." Doug mumbled._

 _"That's what the gloves is for, you knobhead! Put 'em on and let's go!"_

 _She watched the whole exchange and giggled as Doug turned red, but reluctantly put on the gloves. Once he did that, him and Johnny lifted the big table and carried it inside the house._

 _Now that she was more awake, she remembered her mum telling her that someone had finally bought the house next door._

 _"Naomi Isabella, it's time to wake up now!" She grimaced as she heard her mum through the door, knowing that in less than ten seconds, her mum would be invading her private sanctuary._

 _Sure enough, Gina Campbell stuck her head in the door. "Oh, you're up already. Good. Get dressed and come downstairs, love. We're going to go next door and greet the new neighbours."_

 _"I don't wanna, Mum!" Naomi protested with a whine._

 _"Well, you're gonna, so suck it up and get dressed!" Gina knew that sometimes the only way to win with Naomi was to throw attitude back at her. "This isn't an option."_

 _Gina left the room, as Naomi scowled and grumbled, but then she heard a woman talking outside her window and her curiosity got the best of her so she looked down to where an older woman, probably about her mum's age, was standing._

 _The woman was smiling down at the little boy holding her hand, as he watched the men unload the lorry._

 _"Bring the girls on over, Rob, I want to show them the garden." She called out._

 _Naomi was about to turn away from the window and get dressed when movement from the front of the house caught her eye. A tall man with a big smile, and two little girls with dark brown hair, both of them clutching onto the man's hands._

 _She was intrigued by the two girls because they looked exactly the same, but one of them looked all around her, taking in the new environment and happened to glance up to Naomi's bedroom window._

 _Blue eyes came into contact with brown eyes, and the smile on the little girl's face made Naomi stagger back, it was so bright. It was the most beautiful thing Naomi had ever seen in her short life and she knew right then that she wanted to meet those two little girls._

 _Naomi had never gotten dress so fast in her life. She didn't even pay attention to what she was putting on, all she cared about was getting downstairs where her mum was waiting for her._

 _Gina led her out the backdoor and Naomi became nervous the closer they got to the family. When they rounded the lorry still parked in the drive between the two houses, Gina smiled brightly and waved._

 _"Hello!" She called out as Naomi trailed behind her. "Just had to pop round to welcome you to the neighbourhood."_

 _The dark haired lady smiled. "Thank you. Sorry about the noise so early in the morning."_

 _Gina waved off the apology. "Nonsense! It's fine really, I've been up since the sun rose, so we're good." Gina explained. "I'm Gina Campbell and this is my daughter, Naomi."_

 _The lady raised a single thin eyebrow and fought the urge to laugh. "It's lovely to meet you both. I'm Jenna Fitch, and this little man is James."_

 _Gina crouched down so the she could look the boy in the eye. "Well, aren't you just a handsome young man? Isn't he a handsome young man, Nai?"_

 _Naomi had tuned her mum out because she was looking for the two girls, who seemed to have disappeared. It wasn't until her mum jabbed her with an elbow, that she turned giving Jenna a small smile._

 _"'Ello." Naomi mumbled._

 _"Hello, Naomi. My, aren't you just a gorgeous little thing?" Jenna cooed, smiling brightly. "It's too bad for my girls that you're a bit older. It would do them a bit of good to have a friend in the neighborhood," Jenna directed this last bit toward Gina, who nodded in agreement, "but they're still young yet."_

 _Naomi felt her face flush at the mention of the girls, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand why._

 _"Rob?" Jenna called out. "Come and meet the neighbours. He's showing the girls around the garden. We lived in a flat before this, so they're a bit excited about having a yard to play in."_

 _"It's a great place to raise a family in. I'm so glad you bought it," Gina told her, smiling, "we need some more young people around here."_

 _"Alright, love?" A booming voice echoed between the two houses, causing Naomi to jump._

 _"There you are. Come and meet Gina and her daughter, Naomi."_

 _Rob came along and stood next to Jenna, smiling at them. "Hello. I'm Rob and these two beautiful angels are Katie and Emily. Say hello girls."_

 _Naomi scooted closer to her mum, as Katie stepped forward. "Hello. Who are you?"_

 _"I'm Gina. Aren't you just as cute as a button?"_

 _Naomi wasn't paying attention because the other girl, Emily, rolled her eyes and scrunched up her face when her sister started talking and Naomi smiled at her._

 _"I'm Katie and this is my little sister, Emily. I'm older, so that means I'm smarter and prettier!"_

 _"Katherine Jean Fitch!" Jenna admonished the older girl._

 _"Katie, love, remember what we said about both of you being equal?" Rob asked as he crouched down so that he was eye level to the girl._

 _"But-,"_

 _"No buts, young lady! I will not tolerate that type of behaviour, especially from my own children!" Jenna told her forcefully, taking Katie's hand and leading her into the house, along with baby James._

 _Naomi watched in fascination as Emily stood there, quiet as a mouse, not defending herself whilst Katie was being reprimanded by her parents. The younger girl looked sad and that caused something to shift in Naomi tummy._

 _"Are you alright, Emsy?" Rob asked after Jenna and Katie were inside._

 _"Yes, daddy." Emily finally spoke, and Naomi smiled._

 _"Hello, love." Gina greeted the other twin._

 _"Hi. I'm Emily."_

 _"Yes you are. This is my daughter, Naomi."_

 _"Hello." Naomi said._

 _"Hi." Emily looked up at the older girl and smiled shyly._

 _"Sorry about that, Gina." Rob apologised. "Katie's got that older twin complex thing going for her. We've been trying to instil a sense of equality in them, but Katiekat's been reluctant to grasp it."_

 _Gina and Rob laughed, while Naomi and Emily stared at each other._

 _"It's fine, Rob. At least your girls have each other for company." Gina told him. "My Naomi is an only child, so she's a self-proclaimed loner."_

 _"Mum!" Naomi felt her face heat up._

 _"What? It's true, love." Gina replied, winking at Rob. "So, Rob, would you and Jenna like to come over for a cuppa?"_

 _"We'd love that. Just let me go and get her." Rob accepted with a smile. "Emsy, let's go get your mum."_

 _"I wanna stay with Noomi." She replied shyly._

 _Rob looked at his daughter in surprise, because in her short life, the only person she had ever wanted to be around was Katie. "Are you sure?"_

 _Emily nodded and looked back to Naomi._

 _"Honey, it might not be okay with Naomi." Rob told her._

 _Naomi watched as Emily's face fell in a look of disappointment and she suddenly realised that she never wanted to see that look again, so she quickly opened her mouth. "It's alright, sir. I don't mind. We could go to the park if that's alright with you?"_

 _Gina stared, opened mouth at her daughter, who never volunteered for anything, and Rob nodded his consent._

 _As their parents watched them walk down the street, Naomi felt happy, especially when Emily reached out and gently put her hand in Naomi's as they crossed the street._

* * *

 _Emily was crying again!_

 _Naomi was so angry about that fact, that she couldn't see straight._

 _Emily was crying and it was Katie that made her cry._

 _It had been about a year and a half since the Fitches moved in next door, and in that time, little Emily Fitch had buried herself into Naomi's heart._

 _Naomi couldn't explain what it was about the tiny twin, but she found that she'd rather spend time with Emily over just about anyone else. She learned quickly that you had to prod Emily into opening up about anything and the longer she lived right next door, Naomi realised that_ that _was because of Katie too._

 _Emily was sitting at her kitchen table right now,_ crying _, because Katie and her friends at school called her a loser and made fun of her. And why, you might ask?_

 _Because she was reading a book!_

 _Naomi stood up quickly, causing Emily to flinch, and she stormed out of the back door. She marched over to Emily's house and waited after she knocked for someone to answer._

 _"Well, hello Naomi." Jenna greeted her with a smile. "Emily's not home yet, love."_

 _"I know, Mrs Fitch-,"_

 _"Jenna. How many times have I told you, Naomi?"_

 _"Sorry, Mrs...uh, Jenna." Naomi felt herself blush under Jenna's gaze._

 _"That's better." Jenna smiled. "Now, if you know Emily's not home, what can I do for you, love?"_

 _"Is Katie home?" Naomi asked, but just saying Katie's name angered her further._

 _Jenna must have picked up on Naomi's mood, because she merely narrowed her gaze. "What did she do now?"_

 _"Her and her friends made fun of Emily. She's at my house crying right now, Mrs...I mean, Jenna!"_

 _Jenna felt conflicted. On one hand, she didn't like her twins being at odds with each other, but on the other hand, she felt a sense of pride that Emily had Naomi to back her up._

 _"So you thought you'd come over and sort Katie out?" Jenna questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Katie! Come down here please!"_

 _Naomi didn't know what to think standing there, now that she was in front of Jenna, waiting for Katie, but she was about to find out now that she heard Katie's footsteps on the stairs._

 _"What is it, Mummy?"_

 _"You have a visitor." Jenna said as she stepped out of the way to reveal Naomi standing there._

 _"What do you want?" Katie asked, not sure what she was doing there. Katie and Naomi didn't really get along, not that it made a bit of difference to Katie, but many times Naomi tried to come between her and Emily, and Katie didn't like that at all._

 _"You made Emily cry!"_

 _"I did not!" Katie countered, knowing for a fact that she_ did _make Emily cry. "That was Mini and Livia tha-,"_

 _"Save it, Katie! Emily told me all about how the three of you made fun of her for reading!" Naomi cut into Katie's defence. "Why?"_

 _Katie stood there, confused about what was going on. Why wasn't her mum stopping Naomi from yelling at her? "Why, what?"_

 _"Why do you feel the need to hurt Emily like that? She's your sister! You're supposed to look out for her and make for sure no one hurts her!" Naomi stated as passionately as she could for a twelve years old. "She should be able to come to you for anything, but you have to tear her down!" She took a couple steps toward Katie as she spoke. "So I want to know why? Why do you do it?"_

 _"Because she's not like me! We're supposed to be the same and she doesn't wanna be like me!"_

 _Jenna, who had been silent this whole time, was shocked by Katie's answer. "Katie!" She gasped out._

 _"News flash, Katie...just because you're twins, doesn't make you the same! Emily is her own person, she's not you!"_

 _"Why do you care?" Katie asked, angry that she had been called out._

 _"Because Emily is my best friend! And if you were my age, I'd probably beat you up for making her cry!"_

 _"Alright, girls. That's enough." Jenna said as she stepped in between Naomi and Katie. "Katie, go to your room and stay there until your father gets home. We'll discuss your behaviour later."_

 _"But, mummy-,"_

 _"Now, Katherine Jean!" Jenna watched as Katie stomped back upstairs, and then turned back to Naomi._

 _"I'm sorry, Jenna." Naomi had a feeling she was in trouble. "I just really hate seeing Emily upset like that."_

 _"I know you do, dear and I totally agree with you, but do you think we could refrain from scaring the day lights out of her?" Jenna asked trying to keep the smirk off her face. She turned and grabbed her purse, rifling through it and pulled out ten pounds, handing it to Naomi. "Why don't you take Emily to get an ice cream? It always cheers her up."_

 _"Okay." Naomi said and started to leave._

 _"Naomi?"_

 _Jenna called out to her and she turned back around. "Yes?"_

 _"Thank you for sticking up for Emily." Jenna said as she hugged her. "I'll take care of Katie, yeah?"_

 _Naomi smiled as she pulled away from the older woman. She had never felt more pride in herself than she did in that moment. Naomi nodded and left, going back home to get Emily and take her to get her treat._

* * *

 _Emily and Naomi were sitting in their bedroom windows, late at night, talking to each other about their day. It started shortly after the Fitches settled in, once Naomi figured out Emily's room was across from hers and now that Naomi was fourteen and Emily was ten, they had more to talk about._

 _"Emily, can I tell you something?" Naomi asked quietly._

 _Emily sat still in her window as soon as the question was asked. "Uh...yeah. Sure."_

 _Naomi looked at her for what seemed like a long time, feeling nervous, but then she remembered that this was Emily. Emily would never judge her or think she was strange. Because Emily was the greatest person ever._

 _"Well...you remember when Katie had a crush on Nicky? But Mini told her that she was batting out of her league...," Naomi trailed off, not sure if she was going the right direction with what she wanted to say._

 _"Yeah, but that's only cos Mini wanted Nicky all to herself." Emily stated. "I told Katie to let Mini have him, because boys are disgusting!"_

 _Naomi laughed, feeling herself settle, because it was just like Emily to calm her down._

 _Naomi knew people wondered why she hung out with the little kid next door, but she didn't give a fuck what people thought. And besides, it didn't hurt that Emily was more mature than most kids Naomi's age._

 _"You're absolutely right on that, Ems!" Naomi said, still laughing. "Boys are disgusting."_

 _"You didn't meet a boy, did you?" Emily asked her quickly, looking nervous._

 _"No, but...," Naomi got quiet, "promise you won't hate me?"_

 _Emily looked taken aback by the question. "How could you even ask that, Naoms? Nothing you could do would ever make me hate you!"_

 _She felt her heart swell up at Emily's words. And she thought to herself, '_ This is why my best friend is this ten year old!'

 _"So what do you wanna tell me?" Emily asked her, bringing her out of her head._

 _Naomi took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I like girls the way that Katie liked Nicky." Naomi told her, trying to be as clear as possible, not that she felt Emily was stupid, but she did not want to have to repeat herself._

 _Emily didn't say anything for a long time, which made Naomi more nervous._

 _"Ems? Did you hear me?" Naomi asked, suddenly afraid that she hadn't said anything at all._

 _"Yeah, I heard ya. And?" Emily shrugged._

 _"And that means I like girls...like remember when we snuck that porn movie from the guy that looked like Jesus?" Naomi reminded her._

 _"Ugh! You told me never to bring that up again, and I promised I wouldn't!" Emily blushed as she remembered the movie._

 _"I know, and it's still a secret, but I'm trying to prove a point here, Ems." Naomi was frustrated, if it was this hard to tell her ten year old best mate, what's it gonna be like to tell her mum?_

 _"Naoms, I'm not a baby!" Emily replied whilst Naomi was deep in thought. "I know what you mean, when you grow up you wanna marry your girlfriend."_

 _Naomi was shocked by Emily's words. It never failed to amaze her how smart Emily was. "How did you...,"_

 _"Mum explained it all to me and Katie."_

 _"When?" Naomi asked her sceptically._

 _"One day at the centre. Mum's counselling two girls, one of them was kicked out of her home by her dad. Me and Katie saw them kissing each other before they left, and Katie said something bad about them and got in trouble again."_

 _"So you understand what that means?" Naomi asked and Emily nodded. "And you don't think I'm weird or sick?"_

 _"Mum and dad says that love doesn't see...," Emily paused, her face taking on a thoughtful look, like it did when she concentrated really hard, "gender! Love doesn't see gender, it sees the heart and soul."_

 _Naomi felt relief fill her as she realised that Emily didn't care. Emily accepts her for who she is!_

 _"I wish I could hug you right now, Emmybear!" Naomi said as tears spilled from her eyes._

 _"Why are you sad, Noomi?"_

 _Naomi shook her head. "Not sad, happy."_

 _"Why are you crying then?"_

 _"Because I've been so scared to say anything to you. I'm afraid to tell my mum." Naomi told her, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "What if she won't accept me, what if my mum stops loving me? I can't tell her!"_

 _"Now you're just being silly, Naoms." Emily replied._

 _"No I'm not, Ems."_

 _"I can't see you being scared of anything." Emily told her, smiling across the driveway at her. "Remember when that girl, Michelle, tried to bully you? She even came to your house with a group of her friends."_

 _Naomi smiled as she remembered. The girl was three years older than her and for some reason, she had decided to pick on Naomi. "Yeah, I remember, " she grinned, "I bet she still remembers too."_

 _Emily laughed. "Well, a broken nose is hard to forget." Her smiled turned into a smirk. "What I'm trying to say, Naoms, is that you weren't scared then and she was threatening to pound your head into the pavement, so if this is how you really feel, if this is who you are, then be brave. And besides, I can't really see Gina getting mad just because you like girls. I mean, it's Gina we're talking about!"_

 _"Are you sure you're ten?" Naomi asked playfully. "How come you know so much?"_

 _Emily rolled her eyes. "Yes, Naomi! I am ten, you were at my birthday party and I'm pretty smart for my age." She stated in a superior tone of voice._

 _Naomi laughed so hard at what Emily said, that she almost fell out her window. "Yes, you are, Emmybear!" She said as she caught herself from plummeting to the driveway below._

 _"Am I gonna be weird like you when I get to be your age?" Emily asked, truly concerned that she would._

 _"I doubt it, Emmybear." Naomi laughed and Emily joined in, their laughter filling the space between the two houses._

* * *

 _School had started a week ago. After Naomi finished her homework, she went to the window and looked over to see if Emily was in her room. She smiled as she saw Emily's head bent over her desk, reading from a text book. She should have known better._

 _Naomi opened the window and was about to call out to her friend, when Katie's voice broke the silence._

 _"_ I'm going out to hang with Mini and Liv, Mum! I won't be long." _Katie's voice sometimes grated on Naomi's nerves, but she stayed quiet, didn't want to draw Katie's attention to her._

 _Once the clicking of Katie's ridiculously high heels, which she had snuck out of the house and slipped on, faded away, Naomi called out to Emily. It didn't take long for the younger twin to open her window._

 _"Aren't you supposed to be studying?" Emily asked with that deep husky timbre in her voice that had only gotten better the older she got._

 _"I'm done. What are you doing?"_

 _"Literature."_

 _"Hey, I've already got an assignment due at the end of the week for my art class," Naomi told her, "wanna help me out with it?"_

 _Emily sat in the windowsill, looking as if she was thinking about her answer. "Sure, I've got nothing on at the moment." She said, making Naomi smile._

 _"Yeah, I saw that Katie left you again."_

 _"That's alright. Her, Mini and Livia have started trying to hangout with older boys." Emily explained, scrunching her nose in disgust. "Definitely not my scene."_

 _"Someday it will be, Ems." Naomi said with a smile as Emily made gagging noises. "You'll see, one day a boy is gonna come along and take you away from me."_

 _Emily shook her head violently. "Never! No one is come between us, I promise."_

 _Both girls sat and talked about school, life and things in general. And it didn't matter that Naomi was in college now and Emily wasn't. She never wanted this to change._

 _"I met someone." Naomi said quietly, out of the blue._

 _"You did?"_

 _"Yeah. Her name is Sophia and she's in my politics class." Naomi couldn't help but tell Emily every detail, until after a couple of hours, Naomi was talked out._

 _"So you really like this girl, huh?" Emily asked quietly, looking out toward the street._

 _"Yeah, Ems...I really do." Naomi replied, smiling. "And just wait until you meet her."_

 _"Sounds exciting."_

 _"On Friday."_

 _"What?" Emily's eyes snapped up to see her friend smiling at her. "What's on Friday?"_

 _"You, me and Sophia. I told her I wanted her to meet you, so we're going to go bowling." Naomi stated proudly._

 _"Oh...okay."_

 _"C'mon, Ems. I know bowling is our thing, but I really,_ really _want you to meet her." Naomi pleaded with her._

 _"Alright, fine. Bowling on Friday." Emily agreed with a sigh._

 _Naomi smiled at her. Yes, she knew it was probably that goofy smile, but she didn't care._

 _"It's gonna be great, Ems. You'll see!"_

* * *

 _"Honey, tell me again why your best friend is a thirteen year old?"_

 _Naomi was sitting at her desk doing schoolwork, while Sophia lounged on her bed in a rare appearance at her house. The question wasn't a new one, it had been asked many times over the last year and a half and had caused more than a couple rows, but Naomi was sick of it._

 _"Soph, please?" Naomi sighed in frustration._

 _"What? I'm only asking, Nai...it's just a bit strange after all." Sophia pouted from her spot on the bed._

 _"We've grown up together, yeah? I've already told you this like, a hundred times! So how about we drop it, okay?" Naomi hated having to repeat herself, and lately she'd been having to do that a lot with Sophia._

 _"Fine. Whatever."_

 _"Whatdya wanna do tonight?" Naomi asked her, trying to get back on her good side._

 _"Oh, you're gonna have time for me now?" Sophia responded, in a sickly sweet voice._

 _"Oh, c'mon! Don't be like that, Sophia!"_

 _"What? When I suggest a nice night out, you can't do it because you're tied up with Emily and her family! I have a right to be like that, don't you think?" Sophia sneered as she said Emily's name, angering Naomi further. "Naomi, we've got a couple months left of college and then we're on to uni, don't you think it's time to cut the ties with her?"_

 _Naomi couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So you're suggesting that I forget about my best friend, who I've known a hell of a lot longer than you, I might add, and the reason behind this is what?"_

 _"I hate feeling like I'm second place to her!" Sophia shouted at Naomi._

 _Naomi stayed silent, to give herself time to calm down, before she said anything that she'd regret later. Once she felt sure she wouldn't explode, she answered her girlfriend._

 _"I'm sorry, Sophia, if you think that you come behind Emily. I've always put you first, but if you don't realise that, then that's your fault and not mine. I will not end my friendship with Emily because you're insecure. What is it you tell me when I get the least little bit jealous when some slag is almost all over you at a club? Oh yeah...deal with it!"_

 _"I'm not insecure!"_

 _"It seems like you are, but I've never given you a reason to be like that. Although, the same can't be said for you, can it?" Naomi asked, narrowing her gaze, a sure sign that she was getting angry but Sophia was never really able to pick up on Naomi's moods._

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" Sophia demanded standing up to stand in front of Naomi._

 _"I think you know what that means, Sophia! But hey, I understand how you overlook things when it doesn't benefit you and this is no different, is it?" Naomi told her, glaring at her now._

 _"Whatever, Nai! I'm going home." Sophia said quickly as she gathered her things. "We'll talk about this when you get back from your trip to London."_

 _With that, Sophia made a quick exit, leaving Naomi alone, shaking in anger and shock. After awhile, sadness set in, so she picked up her mobile and sent a quick text._

 _ **Are you busy? :(**_

 _She received a reply instantaneously._

 _ **Garden? :(**_

 _Naomi responded just as quick._

 _ **Yes please...bring the garibaldis**_

 _She grabbed a blanket and went outside. It was about five minutes before Emily joined her, loaded down with the asked for Garibaldis, coffee and hot chocolate. Naomi smiled at her as they lay in silence and watched the stars appear._

* * *

 _Naomi stumbled toward her house and she knew she looked a mess, hair all over the place, and tears streaming down her face. But right now she didn't really give a fuck. She needed a drink right and almost sighed when she saw home up ahead._

 _She was about to head up to her house, but then she looked up and caught Emily standing in her window, staring down, and she sobbed so loud as she walked past her house, coming to stop in front of Emily's._

 _"Naoms, what happened? What's wrong?" Emily had asked as soon as she came out of the house, but instead of an answer, Naomi could only throw herself into Emily's arms, losing what little bit of control she had left as Emily embraced her and held tight._

 _Naomi just cried, so Emily led them into the back garden and she sat the blonde down, keeping hold of her. The best thing was that Emily didn't pressure her to talk, knowing that Naomi just needed a minute._

 _They both sat there for a little bit, until Naomi's tears dried. It took three fags and almost an hour before Naomi finally opened up, just as the sun was casting its light on another day._

 _"Sophia cheated on me." Naomi sounded so broken. "She told me last night."_

 _"I'm...so...god, Naomi, I'm so sorry." She replied. "Why?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice. "Is she stupid or mental?"_

 _Naomi teared up again, but she wiped them away. "That's just it! I don't know why, she wouldn't tell me!" Naomi said as she cuddled back into Emily's arms._

 _Naomi told Emily about meeting Lucy and what she had told Naomi and then she explained how she confronted Sophia. She was hurt and confused about the whole situation. "Why does it hurt like this?"_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"It feels like someone's punched me really hard in the chest! I can't seem to breath, Ems!" Naomi sobbed out. "I thought things were fine between us!"_

 _"I know you did, Naoms." Emily agreed._

 _"Never again, yeah?" Naomi stated forcefully as Emily pulled away and looked at her. "Never again will I give my heart to someone else to break it!"_

 _Naomi changed that night, she knew she did, but it was out of self preservation. She didn't have girlfriends after that, Naomi had one night stands and flings. She had Emily, that was good enough for Naomi, and that was better than a girlfriend._

* * *

 _"_ Naomi! _"_

 _Naomi was getting her bag from the back seat of her mum's car, when she heard Emily. She turned just in time to brace herself as Emily jumped into her arms._

 _"Christ, Ems! It's a good thing you haven't grown since you were thirteen!" Naomi said as she hugged her friend. "I'd have been flattened otherwise."_

 _"Fuck off! I've grown!" Emily replied playfully. "I've got boobs now, so that's something."_

 _Naomi couldn't help but look, even as she cursed herself for doing so. "I've missed you, Ems." She hugged the twin again. "Sorry about Christmas."_

 _Emily pulled away with a smile and a shrug. "That's alright. You had to work, I understand that. But I've got your present."_

 _"Sweet! Let me go in and put my stuff away and I'll be over, yeah?" Naomi told her as she headed toward the house._

 _"Alright, just come on in." Emily smiled and ran back to her house and Naomi went to hers._

 _Once she reached her room, Naomi threw her bag on her bed and started emptying it, putting things away, all while thinking of the many ways Emily had grown up._

 _Should she feel creepy for perving on her best friend? Was it wrong that she had been for the last year or so? Her friend Effy told her there wasn't anything wrong it, but Naomi thought there might be. Christ, Emily was only fifteen for fucks sake!_

 _Naomi pushed those thoughts away for the time being, finished putting her things away and headed over to Emily's._

 _She walked through the back door, in through the kitchen and stopped in the lounge where Rob was sitting, reading the paper._

 _"Hiya, Rob!" She greeted him._

 _He looked up and smiled at the blonde. "Naomi! When did you get home?" He asked as he rose to give her hug._

 _"About twenty minutes ago." Naomi laughed into his chest, feeling the love from the man, who was closest thing she'd ever had to a father. "I'm on my way to see Emmybear."_

 _"Thanks for that," he laughed, pulling out of the hug, "she was a right moody little thing over Christmas!"_

 _"Yeah, I figured as much." Naomi agreed with twinkling eyes. "Let me pop up and see what she's got for me. It's good to see you Rob."_

 _At nineteen, with her first year of uni behind her for the summer, Naomi was ready to relax. She walked up the stairs, looking at all the photos that Jenna had hanging there, her eyes always searching for the ones of Emily. Smiling when she saw the picture of her and Emily from her going away party last year._

 _"Emily, your dad tried to squeeze the life out of me aga-," Naomi started to say playfully, but came to a stop when she saw the huge wrapped present sitting on Emily's desk. "What's this, Ems?"_

 _Emily stood next to the present with a huge smile on her face. "It's your present. Open it."_

 _"Ems, I got you a locket and a necklace...this isn't a necklace." Naomi pointed out, feeling something strange settle over her._

 _Emily reached up and pulled the locket out from under her shirt. "I loved what you got me, twat! And you're gonna love this, now get over here and open it!"_

 _Naomi smiled as she started ripping the wrapping paper off the box, as Emily smiled at her fondly. When the blonde got it all off, she gasped._

 _"Fuck, Ems!"_

 _Emily's smile got bigger as Naomi continued to look at the present._

 _"Do you like it?" Emily asked shyly._

 _Naomi didn't know what to say, as she felt tears fill her eyes. "Ems...I...you shouldn't have."_

 _They both looked at what Emily had gotten her. "You needed it, Naoms."_

 _Naomi looked lovingly at the graphic artists kit that sat on Emily's desk. "But, Ems...this is a 700 quid kit!"_

 _"I know." Emily giggled. "I worked odd jobs all summer, you know and I saved all my allowance from mum and dad."_

 _"Ems, I can't-,"_

 _"Yes you can, Naoms." Emily stated firmly, opening the case, pointing out all the pencils, pens, paints and brushes. "Please say you'll accept it. You've been drooling over this kit for the last three years, it has everything you need for graphic design, except the computer software, so...,"_

 _Naomi was touched beyond words. "I'll never be able to match this present, Ems, thank you so much." She said as she pulled Emily into a hug._

 _"You already have, Naomi." Emily said into Naomi's neck._

 _"Whatdya mean?"_

 _"Well, I didn't say anything last year, because I didn't know if I'd be good enough, but I got my GCSE in arts and graphics and that's what I'm doing for my A-levels." Emily replied shyly._

 _"What? Why didn't you tell me this? I could have helped you!" Naomi told her, pulling away so she could study Emily's face._

 _"But you did help." Emily replied. "I watched you, all those times I helped with your projects. That's what inspired me to learn."_

 _"I still wish I had known, Ems."_

 _"I wanted to surprise you and I didn't want you to laugh at me if I wasn't good enough."_

 _Naomi's smile disappeared, as she turned serious. "Ems, I would never laugh at you, yeah? I love you too much for that!"_

 _"Yeah, well...I've had Katie screeching in my ear about how art is for losers, so it was just best to keep it quiet until now."_

 _"Katie's a twat!" Naomi snorted, rolling her eyes. "Don't ever listen to what she has to say."_

 _Emily laughed deeply. "Fuck, I missed you!"_

 _"How about we go bowling, yeah?" Naomi suggested, dying to do something, anything with the younger twin._

 _"Sure...but can I bring someone?" Emily asked shyly. "I know this is our thing, but I really want you to meet him."_

 _Naomi felt her chest tighten as Emily's words slapped her in the face. '_ Him? There's a him? Why didn't I know there was a him? _' The thoughts kept repeating in her mind, as Emily looked at her, expectantly._

 _"Um...yeah...sure thing, Ems."_

 _They made arrangements to head to the bowling alley in an hour, and Naomi made her way back home, thinking about the guy who was taking Emily away from her. And all the while, the jealousy, that she didn't know was jealousy, was burning away in her heart._

* * *

 _"Effy, have I told you how Emily's eyes are kinda a golden brown?"_

 _Naomi was laying across her bed diagonally, with her head hanging off the edge, as she stared at her friend._

 _"More than once, Nai, but I'm sure you're going to tell me again." Effy smirked at her from her spot on the floor._

 _It was the third week into the new term, and Naomi had done nothing but talk about her bestest mate, Emily and bitch and curse Emily's new boyfriend, since she came back from Bristol._

 _That and studying._

 _"Where's the vodka?" Naomi asked in surprise, staring into the empty bottle that she had clutched in her hand. "Effy! Someone's stolen all the vodka!"_

 _"Oh, for fucks sake!" Effy stood up, gracefully and rummaged through Naomi's wardrobe, finding the last bottle that the blonde had stashed. "Here."_

 _Naomi flipped over and squealed in delight. "Yay! Effy is my hero!" And with that, she tore off the cap and took a large gulp of the clear liquid, as she watched Effy sit next to her on the bed. "Did I mention that Emily's hair is red now? It is! She said she wanted to do something different and we went last month and got it done."_

 _"Didn't Emily have a birthday whilst you were home?" Effy asked causally._

 _"Yeah. We went camping to celebrate." Naomi said rolling back over, hanging her head back over the edge of the bed. "It was fucking brilliant, Effs...me and Emily, under the stars, by our lake...no parents, no Katie and definitely no Cook!"_

 _"So she's sixteen now, yeah?"_

 _"Yeah...," Naomi replied, her voice taking on a dreamy quality as she spoke. "Effs?"_

 _"Yes, Nai?" Effy grabbed the bottle, taking her own drink before calling it off._

 _Naomi stayed silent for a few minutes, because the alcohol was working its magic and she could almost feel herself drift off to sleep._

 _"I think I'm in love with Emily." She finally said, so quietly. "How is that possible?"_

 _"I think you know the answer to that, Naomi."_

 _"But...she'll never love me back, will she? She doesn't even like girls!" Naomi started to cry then, thinking about loving someone who loved someone else. "Why did this happen?"_

 _Effy scooted over and pulled Naomi up so that she was sitting and wrapped her long, thin arms around her friend. "Shush...it'll be alright, Nai."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Yeah, you'll see."_

 _That night, as Naomi slept, all she could see was red and golden brown._

* * *

 _"Emily! Emily! Emily!" Naomi squealed like a little girl as soon as she saw the distinctive red hair. She didn't even give a toss as Cook stepped off the train behind her._

 _"Naoms!" Emily ran over to her and laughed as Naomi scooped her up into a hug. "I've missed you so much!"_

 _Naomi couldn't believe that Emily was finally here, in London. Rob and Jenna couldn't hold out against the double pleading from the girls, when they begged them to let Emily come. She was sixteen now, and Jenna felt it would do her some good._

 _"She's been as excited as a fucking two year old in a toy shop!" Cook said, coming to stand with Emily. "'Ello, Naomi."_

 _Naomi almost sneered at him, but caught Emily's eye before she did. "Hello, Cook. C'mon, Effy's waiting in the car and she can't wait to meet you." She said, linking her arm through Emily's and leading her out of the station._

 _"Play nicely, Naoms." Emily told her playfully._

 _"I promise, I'll be on my best behaviour." Naomi said with a grin. "We're gonna have so much fun, Ems."_

 _Emily laughed as they reached the car._

 _"Effy, meet Emily Fitch. Emily, Effy Stonem." Naomi introduced them, smiling._

 _"So you're the one who's replaced me, yeah?" Emily greeted Naomi's friend, curiosity about the brunette clear on her face._

 _Effy smiled brightly, catching Naomi off guard. "I doubt that's even a possibility, but it's a pleasure to finally meet you. And this must be Cook?" She glanced behind Emily and Naomi to see him standing there._

 _"Oh, Christ! I'm sorry, yeah...James Cook." Emily apologised, as Cook smiled at her lovingly._

 _"No worries, mate." He told Emily, then turned back to Effy. "I'm used to it by now. Call me Cook."_

 _Naomi snorted, as she barely contained her laughter. "Um...shall we get going? We can go back to the flat and get you both situated, then head out for some dinner?"_

 _"Sounds great." Emily told her._

 _"Tip top!" Cook agreed with Emily._

 _Naomi wanted to make Emily's first weekend memorable. After dinner, the four of them hit up almost every club in the area. Drink after drink and dance after dance, Naomi and Emily became inseparable. It didn't escape Effy's or Cook's attention either._

 _Naomi woke the next morning lying next to Emily and despite the pounding in her head, she smiled as she watched the younger girl sleep._

 _She started to reach up to brush a stray lock of hair off Emily's face, but she stopped herself._

 _"What are you doing?" Naomi whispered fiercely to herself, pulling her hand back._

 _She sighed and slowly got out of bed, stumbled out of her room and into the bathroom, looking for the painkillers that would beat back the headache. Once she found them, she took two and drank right from the faucet._

 _Naomi found herself in the kitchen, popping bread into the toaster before setting the kettle on the hob. Once that was done, she sat at the table with a cup of tea, thinking about how much fun she had last night._

 _"Morning." Emily mumbled as she made her way into the kitchen, sitting next to Naomi on the bench at the table. "How long you been up?"_

 _Naomi stood and grabbed a cup of tea for Emily. "Not long. I didn't wake you, did I?" She asked, sliding the cup in front of the redhead._

 _"No, I needed to pee." Emily replied, chuckling._

 _Naomi laughed with her as she put some more bread in the toaster. She reached into the fridge and pulled out the brand new jar of Marmite that she bought yesterday, knowing it was Emily's favourite._

 _"I'm really happy that you're here, Emmybear."_

 _"Me too, Naoms."_

 _They were interrupted when Cook groggily entered the kitchen, followed by Effy._

 _"Who's up for a full English breakfast?" Effy asked pulling out pots and pans, knowing that she needed more than toast._

 _"Are you cooking it?" Naomi asked her, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Effy never cooked._

 _"Sure." Effy replied with a shrug. "I'd rather not let you poison everyone with your attempts."_

 _Emily and Cook laughed as Naomi looked offended._

 _"I'll give ya a hand with that." Cook offered._

 _"Alright. We should have everything in the fridge. Mum went shopping the other day for us." Effy told him and he went rummaging. "Why don't you two get out and let us get to work, yeah? Go and buy us some orange juice or something."_

 _"Fine. C'mon, Ems, I know when we're not wanted." Naomi grinned at Effy, knowing that she was giving her and Emily a chance to be alone. "I'll take you to my favourite corner market."_

 _They dressed quickly and left. Naomi showed Emily the park where she liked to sit and study on nice days, and her favourite coffee shop, where they stopped and grabbed a cup of the black liquid before continuing to the market._

 _Naomi greeted the older woman behind the counter, introducing Emily with pride. They bought the o.j. and headed back to the flat, talking and bullshitting the whole way. It was something Naomi knew she had been missing since coming to London, but it hadn't really hit how much she wanted it until then. She felt like she took all those moments with Emily growing up for granted and that made her a bit sad._

 _"What's wrong, Naoms?" Emily asked her. "You look sad?"_

 _"I guess I am a bit...," Naomi said quietly, "because you'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon, and I don't know when I'll be able to get home again to see you."_

 _Emily stopped walking and reached out for Naomi's hand, turning her around. "I'll make a deal with you, yeah? I'll come to London every other weekend."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah. It'll be fun and you won't have to worry about coming home all the time." Emily told her, smiling._

 _"But what if Cook can't come all the time? I know that's why Rob and Jenna let you come this weekend." Naomi asked, jealousy burning away._

 _"No, Naoms...he wanted to come, mum and dad didn't make him." Emily told her, grinning._

 _"Oh."_

 _"So it's a deal then, yeah? Every other weekend?"_

 _Naomi's smile returned, bigger than before. "Deal." She agreed earning a hug from Emily._

 _"Now let's get back because I'm fucking starving!" Emily rolled her eyes playfully at Naomi._

 _The rest of the weekend went much like the first night, and while Naomi was sad to see her best friend off at the train station, she was more than happy with the agreement that her and Emily had come to._

 _So she put all her energy into studying and working, arranging to have every other weekend off so that she could spend it with the most important person in her life._

* * *

 _"Lisa, listen to me...," Naomi cut off her girlfriend, as she glanced out the window, smiling as she saw her mum and Emily outside, "I've already told you, no. Emily leaves today and I'm taking her to London."_

 _"Emily, Emily, Emily! You do remember that_ I'm _your girlfriend, right?" Lisa was seething over the phone. Naomi could almost picture it._

 _"Remember that conversation we had? Emily's part of the package, Lisa and if that bothers you at all, tell me now." Naomi said, her voice hard._

 _"No, baby...it's just...," Naomi could hear the other girl backtracking, "I had plans for us this weekend."_

 _"Next weekend, yeah?" Naomi said distractedly as she watched Emily pull away from Gina's embrace. "I've gotta go, I'll call you when I get back."_

 _Naomi hung up, cutting off Lisa's "I love you", and quickly made her way outside._

 _"Ems! Oh, thank Christ you haven't left yet." Naomi said as she reached Emily. "I thought I had missed you." She finished with a smile._

 _"No...um, no, not for another hour or so. We're waiting for Katie to get back." Emily stuttered out._

 _"Right...let me guess, she went to say goodbye to Danny?" She said with a smirk._

 _"You got it. Also, Cook hasn't shown up yet, so...," Emily trailed off, looking kind of guilty._

 _Naomi still didn't like Cook. "Oh, your boyfriend's going with you? How sweet."_

 _"I'm gonna go in for tea." Gina said, but neither girl was listening. She shook her head as she walked away, leaving the two of them alone._

 _Emily cocked her head and Naomi knew it was because she really knew what Naomi was saying._

 _If only Cook knew some of the things that Naomi was thinking about his girlfriend._

 _"He's...um, just driving us. Mum and dad are letting us use the SUV, and he'll bring it back Sunday." Emily explained._

 _Naomi didn't say anything right away, seeming to be in thought, but then she smiled again. "So, are you getting nervous?"_

 _Emily sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. "Naomi, you've been asking me that ever since I got my acceptance letter!"_

 _Naomi nudged Emily with her shoulder, causing the younger girl to laugh. "I know, but I was really bricking it my first semester, and I just wanna make sure I'm not the only one. C'mon, you can tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone."_

 _"Not at all, I'm more excited than I thought I'd be, actually."_

 _Naomi's grin morphed into a full fledged smile, as Emily looked at her._

 _Emily had been accepted into Naomi's alma mater, Goldsmiths' to study graphic design, which had pleased her when she found out. They had spent the last couple of months together, with Naomi giving her tips and pointers, telling her about the best places to eat and study, which classes she'd be taking, which teachers were cool and which ones were wankers._

 _Naomi had been in heaven the whole time! The only dark spots had been caused by Lisa._

 _"Hey, I've got a great idea! How about I ride with you guys?" Naomi said quickly._

 _"What? You wanna drive to London with us?" Emily asked, hesitantly._

 _Naomi shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I think it'd be cool. We could get you both sorted and then I'll take you all out to dinner, whatdya say?"_

 _"Don't you have a date with Lisa tonight?"_

 _Naomi shook her head, but Emily saw her eyes cloud over at the mention of the redhead. "Nope! I told her that today was a no girlfriend day because I had to spend it with my best mate." She smiled at Emily._

 _Emily seemed reluctant at first, but in the end, she agreed, telling Cook and Katie about the new arrangement when they finally showed up._

 _"Alright, but you're sitting in the back seat with Campbell, Emsy! I don't want her lesbianism to rub off on me." Katie has sneered at her._

 _"Is that alright, Cook?" Naomi asked, in sweet voice, smiling at him._

 _Emily smiled to herself, while Cook said he didn't mind. He merely smiled and winked at Emily, then they all piled into the large Range Rover, and made they're way to London_.

* * *

 _So, you gonna miss Emily?" Naomi asked, trying to make an effort for Emily's sake, as she helped Cook unload the SUV._

 _Cook laughed at the question. "That's an understatement, yeah? She means everything to me." He said, hefting a couple of the larger cases up to the steps. He put them down, leaned against the railing and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Fag?" He gestured with the pack, smiled as she nodded, handing her one and flicked his lighter. Naomi leaned forward, placing the tip to the flame, keeping her eyes on his the whole time and waited for him to continue. "I was a fucking mess when Emsy came into my life. Every drug known to man, drinking anything I could get my hands on, fighting with anyone who was up for it, same with shagging..," he trailed off, lost in the past for a brief moment. "Emily came along and changed all that, ya know? She opened up my eyes to how life could be, and she made me wanna be a better man, so yeah...," he explained with tears in his eyes and no shame for them, "I'm gonna miss the shit outta that girl, but she can't stay trapped in Bristol forever, can she?"_

 _Naomi was stunned into silence. She'd never given the young man much thought, except to loath him. She had serious issues with him because she didn't want him to come between her and Emily. She didn't take the time to get to know him properly, because she always thought he'd pass through Emily's life, leaving her brokenhearted, but he'd stuck around and he cared._

 _"I didn't know, I'm sorry." She said quietly._

 _"How would you know, when you couldn't be bothered to give me the time of day?" He said, not harshly, but with enough sting to make Naomi wince. "Not that I'm bothered by it, mind you, but Emily is."_

 _Naomi's eyes snapped to his. "Whatdya mean?"_

 _"I mean, that it bothers Emily when we can't all go out together." Cook said. "She'd never tell you that, because she doesn't want you to do anything you don't wanna do, but fucks sake, girl! You're her best mate in the whole world!"_

 _Naomi flicked her fag away into the street. Thinking about what Cook had just told her. Did it really bother Emily? And if so, could Naomi overcome her dislike of him to change it? She didn't know, but she could certainly give it a try._

 _There were two things in life that Naomi feared the most. Failure and Emily being disappointed in her._

* * *

Naomi couldn't seem to stop moping around and thinking about her conversation with Cook when they dropped the girls off in London. She had been like this for two weeks, and it was getting so bad that even her mum had snapped at her. Lisa kept trying to get her to go out during the week, which is something Naomi never did, preferring to do her partying on Friday and Saturday. ' _We've been dating for over a year! You'd think she'd know that by now._ ' Naomi thought to herself, as she went about cleaning her room at five o'clock on a Friday evening.

For some reason whenever Naomi was in a bad mood and Emily wasn't around, she cleaned which usually thrilled Gina, but this time it went beyond usual Naomi-grumpiness. Something was off, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

' _Liar!_ ' Her brain screamed at her. ' _You know exactly what's wrong, but you're way too fucking stubborn to admit it!_ '

"Shut up!" She said out loud to herself, as she sorted through the pile of clothes that had accumulated on the floor. She immediately stopped and stood up, as she realised she just answered herself.

"Fuck! What is wrong with me?"

"It could be the fact that your very bestest friend is no longer just next door." Came the answer drifting from Naomi's open bedroom door, causing her to scream and jump.

"What the actual fuck, Effy!" She glared at the tall, waifish brunette.

Effy smirked as she leaned against the doorframe, staring back at her. "What?" She said innocently, without looking innocent at all.

Effy Stonem had met Naomi at Uni, where they both attended Goldsmiths', Naomi for graphic design and Effy for business. Effy grew up in London, with her mum, Anthea. When they left Uni, they decided to go into business together, so they set up shop in Bristol.

"What are you doing here?" Naomi asked harshly. "Shouldn't you be off somewhere, crushing young men's hearts under your boot?" She asked, as she went back to sorting her clothes.

"Now, now, Campbell, is that anyway to greet the only friend you have left in Bristol?" Effy asked. "You've been a moody bitch for almost two weeks and you've blown off four days of work."

"So? Aren't I the boss?" She replied haughtily, earning a chuckle from Effy.

"Yeah, you're the boss, but you've got work to do, Nai." Effy stepped into the room, looking around at the mess with mild amusement on her face. "We've got that meeting coming up, and we need to prepare for it."

Naomi sighed, sitting on her bed. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Effs." She said, feeling the urge to cry, which was so unlike her.

Effy sat in the chair that was placed next to the bed, and leaning forward, grabbed Naomi's hand and held it loosely. "I think you know what's wrong, Naomi, you just don't want to admit it."

Naomi scoffed at her. "I told you something, three years ago, while I was very drunk I might add, and you keep harping on it. Fuck Effy, I was a kid back then!" She stood rapidly and started pacing back and forth, while chewing on her thumbnail, a nervous habit she had that she didn't notice she had.

But Effy knew it, and knew the reason for the nervousness and the moodiness, and the reason her friend hadn't been to work the last four days.

Naomi Campbell was in love with Emily Fitch! And had been for years. Naomi had let it all spill out one night when they drinking once Naomi had gotten back after she had gone home for the summer. And then Effy saw the change in her friend right away when the little twin had come to London for the weekend along with her "boyfriend", Cook. She had never seen a happy Naomi, but having Emily around that weekend brought out another side of the blonde that Effy totally approved of. Naomi was usually so serious, studious and a bit staid, to be honest, but when Emily was around, she seemed to come alive.

"C'mon, Nai! You know what they say right? Drunk words are sober secrets!"

"Sod off! I just miss her, alright?" Naomi replied.

The brunette knew when to back off, and she did so now. "Lisa's been calling, wondering what's wrong with you." She said, changing the Emily subject, catching a look of disgust on Naomi's face. "What's that for?"

"What?"

"You're tired of her." Effy stated simply, no emotion in her voice. "I'm actually shocked she's been able to hold onto you for this long, to be honest."

"What are you on about now?" Naomi asked, confusion clearly written on her face.

"Lisa." Effy said with a shrug. "You're ready to ditch her."

"How do you know this shit?" Naomi asked, not really surprised at all by Effy's statement, more like annoyed. When Effy didn't respond, Naomi sighed. "Fine! Yes, I'm thinking of ending it with her."

Effy waited in silence for the explanation that was going to come.

"She was a total bitch when I said I wanted to spend Emily's last weekend with Emily and not her." Naomi said sadly.

"Lisa's never understood you and Emily. I'm pretty sure she felt threatened on more than one occasion." Effy told her.

"Why? Emily's about as straight as they come, Effy."

Effy caught the underlying tone in Naomi's voice. The blonde had always wished that that wasn't true. Naomi could deny it all she liked, but Effy wished she would at least entertain the possibility that just maybe, Emily wasn't so straight.

Effy wasn't stupid, nor was she blind. And that's what you'd have to be to not know that Emily had feelings for Naomi. She chuckled at the thought, that both of the girls were blind when it came to each other.

"What?" Naomi asked, earning a head shake from Effy. "Effy, what's so funny?"

"Nothing, Nai, calm down, yeah?" She stood up and made her way to the wardrobe, pulling open the doors and started looking through it. "We're going out tonight, no arguments." She threw an outfit at the blonde.

Naomi just stared at the empty doorway as she heard Effy make her way down the stairs, that girl was unbelievable sometimes, but she got dressed anyway.

' _What could it hurt? A few drinks to take my mind off things._ ' Naomi thought to herself. ' _It can't get any worse, can it?_ '

An hour later, Naomi and Effy made their way to their local pub, before moving on to the clubs.

* * *

Naomi found herself surrounded by drunken idiots, but realised she didn't mind that at all. What she minded was watching Cook salivate all over some random slag in the middle of the dance floor. How could he do that to Emily? _Why_ would he do that to Emily?

She had stopped dancing the moment she saw him, and was about to head over to him, when he pulled the young girl behind him off the floor toward the bar. Naomi became more disgusted as she continued to watch him.

"Isn't that Cook?" Effy asked as she stepped next to the blonde.

Naomi couldn't trust herself to speak, so she merely nodded her head.

"Hmm, interesting." Effy handed Naomi the shot she had in her hand. "Be right back." She said as she made her way over to Cook.

"Effy! What are you doing?" Naomi shouted over the music, trying to get her friends attention. Effy only glanced back at her, shaking her head slightly, before turning back toward Cook.

She stood there, alone in the crowd, seething at the thought of Cook. She took the shot that was in her hand and knocked it back, grimacing at the taste of the tequila as it burned her throat. Her already bad mood just intensified, and when some guy came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, she tensed up. She tried to pull away from him, but he gripped her tighter, and buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"You're fucking fit!" The stranger said into her ear, causing an unpleasant shiver to course through her. "Whatdya say? Wanna get outta here?"

Naomi was frozen to her spot on the edge of the dance floor, unable to move or speak. She didn't want his hands on her, but she couldn't pull away, as the guy kept nibbling on her neck. When she didn't answer, he took it as a yes, as he bit into her neck, trying to mark her, causing her to flinch. He also decided that he couldn't wait until he got her home, as his hands reached up and started groping her breasts hard, making her feeling sick to her stomach.

" _OI! Fucksplash_!" Naomi heard, roaring out above the music, and then she felt the stranger behind her jerk back. Suddenly she started shaking, feeling her legs almost give out, as she heard a scuffle behind her.

"C'mon, Nai...let's go sit down." Effy was there, grabbing onto the blonde and started to lead her to their table. Naomi let her, as she gingerly reached up to feel the spot where she had been bitten. "What happened, Naomi?" Effy knelt down, so she could look into glazed over ice blue eyes. " _COOK!_ " Effy shouted, when Naomi didn't respond.

"What the fuck just happened there? I thought she was a lezza!" Cook shouted to Effy.

"I don't know what happened, but she's not answering me...," Effy trailed off as she looked around the club, "where is he?"

"That fucker got bounced from the club, after he bounced his face off my fist. Let's get outta here, yeah?" Cook bent down and picked up the quiet blonde, as Effy cleared a path toward the door. Cook didn't like the looks of Naomi, as she lay non-responsive in his arms.

They were halfway to the exit when someone stopped them.

"Are fucking kidding me right now?" Lisa screamed loud enough to be heard over the music, dragging Naomi out of her dazed state.

"Lisa?" The blonde asked in confusion, wondering what her girlfriend was doing here.

"You've blown me off for two fucking weeks to hang out with these two and get groped by a guy?" Lisa glared at the three of them.

"What are you doing here?" Naomi asked, still confused, the whole night had turned into a fucking mess. She glanced at Effy, thinking that maybe she had told Lisa where they were going to be, but Effy shook her head as if to say 'it wasn't me!'.

"I've been worried about you baby." Lisa's mood switch so fast that even Cook scoffed at her, which she ignored.

All of a sudden Naomi couldn't breath. The tosser molesting her and now Lisa had managed to throw Naomi off balance. She needed some air. She walked through the exit, leaving Effy and Cook with Lisa.

Outside, it felt as if she had stepped into a different reality. The cool air washed over her, reminding her of times spent with Emily when they were younger.

"Naomi! Don't you walk away from me!" Lisa's voice grated on every nerve Naomi had as she came out of the club. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Listen, Leece...can we not talk about this right now?" Naomi didn't want to do anything right now but go home and go to bed.

"So because you don't wanna talk about what's been going on in that bleach soaked brain of yours, you think I'm just gonna stand here and let you treat me like a nobody?" Lisa shouted at her, giving Naomi a shove.

"Don't touch me Lisa." Naomi warned her, but the redhead wasn't about to listen as she pushed against Naomi's shoulders, causing the blonde to stumble a bit before she could steady herself.

"So you make _all_ the fucking rules now, do ya?" Lisa was right in Naomi's face.

"Lisa, I've asked you nicely to back the fuck up off me." Naomi's head was spinning. The whole night was making her head spin, as Lisa pushed her again.

No one was paying attention how close Naomi and Lisa were to the kerb, until Effy and Cook came rushing out of the club, to find Lisa pushing Naomi again.

What happened next was unexpected and unavoidable, as Lisa continued to scream at Naomi and pushing her, whilst Naomi tried to walk away, resulting in the redhead grabbing a hold of Naomi, whipping her back around forcefully and started slapping her. Naomi did her best to try and fend for herself, but the combination of the wanker inside, the drinking and Lisa was too much to handle.

As Effy and Cook rushed over to them, Lisa slapped Naomi so hard she literally spun around and ended up stepping off the kerb just as a car was passing by.

"NAOMI WATCH OUT!" Effy cried out, but it fell on deaf ears as Naomi reeled from the force of the hit, feeling blood start trickling from her nose.

The car hit Naomi, its tyres screeching loudly, as she stood up to have a go at Lisa, catching her from the side. Effy screamed out loud as her and Cook watched Naomi roll over top of the car, hitting the boot and bouncing to the ground.

"OH MY GOD! Naomi!" Effy ran around and fell to her knees, ignoring the jolt of pain that shot throughout her body as she did. "Fuck! Naomi? Can you hear me?"

"Is she okay?" Cook asked breathlessly as he came up behind Effy, followed by someone else.

"Jesus! Please tell me she's gonna be alright!" A woman, older than them, came rushing around from the drivers side. "Christ, please tell me I didn't just kill someone? I never saw her until it was too late! I swear!"

People started crowding around as Cook called 999. The noise of the crowd was deafening to Effy, as she watched blood seeping down Naomi's face from the gash on her forehead, while Cook and the lady who had hit her sat with her, and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Twenty minutes later, an ambulance arrived, followed by two of Bristols finest to take statements. It was only after one of the cops started questioning the woman, Effy and Cook that they noticed someone missing. Someone very important that needed to be questioned.

"Where the fuck did Lisa go?" Effy asked Cook as she looked through the crowd.

"Don't know, Effs, but we should get ahold of Naomi's mum, yeah?" Cook inquired. "Let the cops deal with that bitch."

"Excuse me, are you Emily?" One of the EMT's asked.

"No, why?" She was panicking, Effy knew she was, she could tell by the sound of her voice. "Is something wrong?" Cook was holding her as the guy shook his head.

"Naw, but she's awake and asking for Emily." He stated, leading them over to the back of the truck, to find Naomi thrashing about inside, while the other guy was injecting what looked like morphine into her. "We can have one of you ride with her."

"Go, Effy." Cook said, shoving her up in the truck. "I'll go get her mum, yeah?"

Effy nodded at him gratefully as Naomi started calling out for Emily again. "You might wanna get Emily home too."

"Yeah." Cook replied absently. "Hey buddy! What's the damage?" He asked the driver.

"She suffered a blow to the head, causing the open gash and it looks like a broken arm...," he started rattling off everything while shutting the back doors on the truck, "the main problem is her leg. It looks like she's shattered it in a few different places...probably surgery. We're taking her to Southmead Hospital."

Cook was shocked by what the guy had said. "Fuck!" He exclaimed and took off running to grab a taxi, as the ambulance drove away.

* * *

 **Alright guys...get those reviews going...let me know what you think or if you have suggestions or something you'd like to see happen...let me know, okay I'll do my best to make it happen! :)**

 **And to mswitsend... so sorry about the cliff-hanger...forgive me?**

 **Love to all of you fabulous people!**

 **Marci**


	3. Chapter 3: Fixing Naomi

**A/N: Hey guys... I wanna give some massive love to the following authors for their amazing stories:**

 **TeenAgeRiot99, KayEff, KairiM(She's Back!), LilyCanBeMyPyjamas, garden-nomes, mswitsend, mynameislizzie, and** **Hez-xx**

 **All of them have some outstanding work on this site, and if for some reason you haven't read any of their stuff? You should stop reading this and head over and read their stuff immediately! Like for reals!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Fixing Naomi**

As soon as the taxi pulled up outside of Naomi's house. Cook jumped out and ran up the pathway and banged on the door. "Gina! It's Cook!" He shouted after a few minutes, when no one answered the door. Cook waited a few more minutes, but when he still didn't get an answer, he ran next door.

He didn't even knock, as he opened the front door, running into James. "Oi, Jamesy, is Gina here?"

"What's going on?" James Fitch asked as he saw the startled look on Cook's face.

"I don't really have the time right now, I need to find Naomi's mum." Cook pleaded with the boy as Rob Fitch stepped in to the hallway behind James.

"Cookie, what's wrong? Is Emsy alright?" He asked, pushing James out of the way.

"Yes, she's fine, but I'm actually looking for Gina. Something's wrong with Naomi."

The concerned look on his face deepened. "Of course, son, straight through here, in the kitchen." He led the way through the house. "What's happened? Is she alright? Where is she?"

Rob was throwing questions at Cook left and right, and he was having a hard time keeping up. They stepped into the kitchen and Cook caught sight of Gina.

"Rob?" The older blonde looked at them both, a bit confused. "What's going on?"

"Cook says something's wrong with Naomi." He replied.

"She's been in an accident. They're taking her to Southmead." Cook stated, trying to keep himself from becoming hysterical.

Gina sensed the urgency in Cook's voice and merely nodded and walked out the kitchen door.

"It's best if we take her, Rob."

"Right you are, Jenna." Rob looked back at her, getting a nod. "Come on then, Cook, Jenna." He ushered them after Gina and bundled them into the Fitch family car. "Let's make sure we all get there safely, right? Cook, how about you explain what happened on the way."

Cook started with the wanker who tried to cop more than a feel from Naomi, adding in the part where Lisa showed up out of nowhere all the way to the ambulance ride with Effy.

"That little _bitch_ pushed my daughter into the street and then fucking left her there?" Gina had never been more furious in her life as anger and fear warred with each other.

Jenna wrapped a comforting arm around her friend as everyone fell silent for the rest of the ride.

* * *

"Effy!" Gina called out as she saw the girl pacing the hallway.

Effy sighed in relief at the sight of Naomi's mum running down the corridor. "Thank god you're here! Gina, I'm so sorry...I feel like...it's all my fault...,"

"Nonsense!" Gina exclaimed abruptly. "Where's the doctor? What did they say?"

"They've got her in a room right now, trying to assess all the damage done, but she's fighting them every step of the way. They wanted to give her something to calm her down, but she's refused. She's asking for...," Effy paused, unsure of what to say in front of everyone.

"What is it Effy?" Gina pleaded, tears starting to fall again.

"She's asking for...Emily?" A male voice spoke out from behind them and they all turned to find an unkempt looking man. "Are any of you Emily?"

Rob and Jenna looked at each other with a knowing glance, before accompanying Gina into the lounge to talk with the man. He gestured to the hard chairs and waited until the three of them sat.

"I'm Doctor MacFoeinaiugh but please, for the love of Christ, just call me Kieran." He said gruffly in an Irish accent. "Naomi is your daughter?" He asked Gina, earning a nod. "Well, ma'am...Naomi's in a bit of a pickle. She's suffered mild head trauma along with a broken arm and collarbone, but it's her leg that's worrying us. Also, she has a broken nose that resulted from the fight before the car hit her."

"What about her leg?" Gina asked him.

"I'd like to get in there and take a look at it, some of the bones might need to be pinned together, and one of them has managed to find it's way to the outside of her body close to the artery and we think she's nicked it, but she's coherent and refuses to let us operate until this Emily arrives. Maybe you could talk to her? Get her to see the severity of the situation."

"I could try, but if I know my daughter, she'll wait until hell freezes over for Emily to arrive."

Jenna chuckled. "Doesn't it remind you of something, Gina?"

Gina and Rob both smiled at the memory and thought how it was just like the time that a thirteen year old Naomi fell off the roof of her house after climbing out her window, convinced that she could jump into Emily's room from there.

She discovered that no, she couldn't fly, and yes, bones hurt when they break.

Naomi wouldn't let anyone but Emily touch her as she lay in between the houses with a dislocated shoulder, four broken ribs and a fractured radius and ulna. Gina had tried to pick up the young girl, but she screamed out in agony, calling for Emily.

"Yeah, you're right," Gina agreed, "but that doesn't help us right now, does it?"

"Let me talk to her?" Rob asked looking between his wife and their best friend. "Let me assure her that Emily will be here, I'll have Cook call and have her get a taxi to Bristol, but Naomi needs to have that leg looked at in the mean time."

Gina gave it some thought and realised that it couldn't hurt. "Yeah, go for it, Rob."

Kieran stood and smiled at the nervous mother, hopeful that someone may be able to talk sense into the girl, and led Rob down the corridor to where Naomi lay in pain and waiting.

* * *

"For fucks sake!"

Emily was jolted awake by the dulcet sounds of her sister, and yes, she used that term loosely. "What's wrong?" She asked as Katie made her way over to Emily's bed and handed her her mobile.

"It's been going off nonstop for about twenty minutes!" Katie snapped at her.

Emily looked at the screen with blurry eyes and noticed twenty missed calls from Cook. As she was about to unlock it to call him back, it vibrated and lit up in her hand, Cook's face grinning up at her.

"Alright, Cook? What's so bloody important that you felt the need to call me at stupid o'clock in the morning?"

"Naomi." Cook responded flatly.

"What about Naomi?" Emily sat up in a panic, flinging back the duvet in the process. "Cook, what's going on?"

"Ya need to come home now, Emsy. She's at Southmead and needs to have surgery but she won't do it without ya here."

"What?" Emily's voice broke as she started thinking the worst. "What the fuck happened, Cook?"

"Look, I don't have time to go into details, something happened at a club and Naomi got hurt pretty bad, so get here as soon as ya can."

Emily had already gotten up and started sorting through her pile of clothes looking for something to wear as Cook explained things to her. "And how am I supposed to do that, Cook? The trains don't start running again for another couple of hours!"

There were whispers and a rustling on the other end of the line, then Emily heard Effy's voice.

"Emily? Please don't worry, she-,"

"How am I supposed to not worry, Effy? Cook calls in the middle of the night and tells me that Naomi's in hospital and you're telling me not to worry?" She could here the hysteria in her voice, but she couldn't push it down. "How the fuck am I supposed to get there at this time of night?"

"Listen, Tony's on his way to pick you up, okay? Naomi said...," Effy trailed off, not really wanting to upset the younger girl any more than necessary.

"What did she say?"

"She won't do anything without you."

Emily heard the weariness in Effy's usually calm, detached voice that made the hairs the back of Emily's neck raise up. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Where is she at again?" Effy told Emily where they were and she rushed into Katie's room as soon as she hung up, telling Katie she had to go.

Katie wasn't about to let Emily go on her own, so ten minutes later, Emily found herself sitting in the back seat of Tony's car, staring out the window, more scared than she'd ever been before and hoping that Naomi was okay.

* * *

"Hey, kiddo." Rob greeted Naomi gently, as he pulled up a seat and sat next to the bed, taking her hand in his. "The doctor says he needs to check out your leg, love."

Naomi was trying her best not to cry, but the pain was overwhelming. "Not yet," she protested weakly, "not without Emily."

"She'll be here. Cook called her, okay? She's on her way now." He promised her, hoping to God it was the truth. "But the thing is, Nai...they've got to check out that leg now and they want to make sure you didn't break your brain."

Naomi tried to chuckle, but the pain radiated throughout her whole body, causing her to almost throw up.

"Alright...easy does it." Rob helped her roll over, just in case.

Naomi couldn't hold in the tears any longer. "I can't do it, Rob. Not till Emily's here...please?"

"Naomi, listen to me," he was gentle, but he let the urgency be heard in his voice, "they're scared that you may be bleeding internally. They can't wait, love. It has to be done now." He could tell that she was on the verge of protesting again, so he pulled out his last weapon. "What if you wait for Emsy, but something happens to you? You've got a piece of bone sticking out of your leg near the artery, Naomi. How do you think Emily would feel if something happened to you?"

Naomi felt her heart clench, as the thought of Emily showing up and finding out that the worst had happened ran through her mind. "And she's really on her way?"

Rob knew he had her, but she needed one last push. "Give me one second, love." She nodded and he stood up and stepped over to the corner of the room, pulling out his mobile.

He hit the speed dial for Emily and expected to wait, not really surprised when it was answered on the first ring.

"Dad? What is it? What's wrong?" Emily answered, frantically. "Don't tell me...she's not...,"

"No, love...Naomi's here, she's in a fair amount of pain, but she refuses to get looked at until you're here...I've almost got her convinced to let the doctors look at her, but I think she needs to hear that from you."

"Let me talk to her, please?" Emily was crying. The thought of not being there with Naomi was killing her and she just wanted to hear her best friend's voice.

"Emily?" It was quiet and weak and Emily could hear the distress in her voice, but it was Naomi.

"Naoms?"

"Where are you? It so hurts so bad." Naomi cried into the phone.

"I know it does, babes and that's why you need to have them look at you." Emily told her, trying to keep the fear at bay.

"But you're not here!"

"But I'm on my way, Naoms! I'll be there soon, I promise." Emily told her. "Please let them look at you, okay? Please?"

Naomi could hold out against Emily. "And you'll be here when I wake up?"

"I promise."

"Okay, I'll let them." Naomi promised the younger twin, nodding at Emily's dad.

Rob, who had been standing off to the side, smiled at Naomi. "I'll get the doctor."

He left the room, leaving Naomi talking with Emily, and went to find Kieran.

* * *

Tony pulled into the car park almost an hour after Emily got off the phone. He did the right thing and pulled up in front, allowing Emily and Katie to jump out and run into the hospital.

They got into the reception area to find it empty and Emily cursed loudly. "Hello?" She called out. "Can someone help me?" Louder this time, finally alerting someone.

A young nurse stepped out of the office behind the counter. "I'm sorry, can I help you?"

"Yes, I need to find Naomi Campbell?" Emily asked.

"Right, love...I'm sure you'll find her in here." The nurse replied sarcastically, making Emily groan.

"Look," Emily paused to check out her name tag, "Lauren? My friend, Naomi Campbell, was brought in earlier, now you can either check your computer and tell me where she's at, or I'll find someone who can." Emily didn't cover up the anger in her voice and Katie couldn't help but giggle.

Lauren rolled her eyes at them, but decided to humor her and typed Naomi's name into the computer, while Emily glared at her. A minute later, a blush formed across the nurses face.

"She's been taken to the surgical floor." Lauren said sheepishly, embarrassment evident in her voice. "The waiting room is two floors up."

Emily didn't even bother to thank her, as her and Katie merely turned and went to the bank of lifts. The minute or two she spent in the tiny space gave her time to think of the worst, so that by the time the doors opened and she stepped out, Emily was a shaking mess.

"I'm sure she's alright, Emsy." Katie told her sympathetically.

"Hopefully." Emily replied halfheartedly.

"Emsy! Thank fuck yer here!" Cook called out as she stepped into the waiting room across the hall from the lift.

"What happened, Cook?" Emily asked, worried when she saw Gina and her parents sitting with James and Effy. "What are you doing here?"

"Look, it's a long story." Cook told her, rubbing the back of his neck and shifting from foot to foot.

"I think we've got time, don't you?" She pointed out, anxious to see Naomi.

"Emily, thank god you're here." Gina had walked over to where Emily and Katie were standing and wrapped her arms around the younger twin. "She's still in surgery."

"Can someone tell me what happened?" Emily asked as Gina led her to where everyone else was waiting.

"We went out to a club an-," Effy started, but was cut off.

"Naomi doesn't go out clubbing during the week! Why was she out?" Emily asked, confused as to why Naomi would break one of her own rules.

"She was in a mood and I thought, maybe it would help." Effy told her, again feeling guilty.

Emily was getting even more frustrated. "But how did she end up here?"

"Some bloke groped her in the club, so after I took care of 'im, Effy wanted to take her home." Cook replied, still shifting from foot to foot, and Emily could tell he was nervous.

"We ran into to Lisa on our way out. She...well she...," Effy trailed off, unsure if she should say anything or not, as the image of what happened ran through her mind for the thousandth time since it happened.

"She what?" Emily prodded but Effy stayed quiet. "What happened, Effs?"

"If I tell you, you have to promise that you'll stay here." Effy told her.

"Of course I'll stay here," Emily scoffed at her, "where the fuck else would I go?"

"Lisa pushed Naomi and hit her, she broke Naomi's nose. It was Lisa that pushed Naomi off the kerb into the street just as the car was passing by." Cook finally told her, preparing for the outburst.

"She fucking what?" Emily was livid with rage. Now she understood why Effy wanted her promise to stay put. "I've half a mind to head down to the police station and kick the shit out of Lisa!" She roared as Katie grabbed hold of her, to stop her from running off.

"That'd be all well and good, if she was there." Effy told her.

"Whatdya mean, if she was there? Of course she's there!" Emily couldn't believe otherwise.

Katie looked back and forth between Effy and Cook, saw the looks on their faces and knew. "She's not in custody, is she?"

Gina and Jenna, who had been sitting in silence, both knew that Emily was gearing up to kick off.

"Emily! Calm down this minute!" Jenna commanded.

"But Lisa just-,"

"Yes, love, she did." Gina replied calmly, feeling anything but calm. "But you need to think of Naomi right now. You'll need to be here for her when she wakes up, you promised."

Emily knew that Gina was right, she did promise she'd be here, but she decided that she'd take care of Lisa later. Right now she needed to be able to see Naomi.

"How long till she's done?" Katie asked, taking a seat next to James, followed by Cook and Effy.

"We don't know." Jenna said, feeling unsettled by the look on Emily's face. "She's been in there over an hour, but there was a lot to do."

"Right!" Rob stood up and exclaimed. "I'm going to make a run to the 24 hour café up the street. I think coffees all around, yeah?"

"James and I will come along, Rob." Cook stated as he too stood up. "We'll give ya a hand."

Emily finally sat down next to Effy and prepared to wait, the nerves kicking back in, and knowing that she wouldn't be able to settle down until she could see Naomi.

* * *

"Doctor?"

Kieran stood over his patient, feeling drained. It took longer than expected to repair her femur and he was more than a bit shocked at the damage she had sustained.

"Doctor? Are you alright?" One of the nurses who had assisted him asked, concerned.

"Yeah. I'm just tired and in need of coffee." Kieran replied with a sigh. "Let's close up this leg and get her into recovery, shall we?"

"Of course, doctor."

The nurse was young and fresh out of uni, so she didn't know how Kieran despised being addressed as anything other than his name, so he let it go for now. He's attention was focused on the girl in front of him, as he painstakingly started suturing every incision and closed the leg up.

An hour later, he was in the wash room, adjacent to the surgical theatre, cleaning up, when the door creaked open.

"Hey, Kieran." David Blood, the on-call A&E doctor, stepped in. "I knew you'd be able to handle this one."

"Aye. It was rough there for a moment." He finished rinsing his hands and arms and grabbed a towel from the shelf beside the sink. "The way she was bleeding, I thought for sure we were gonna have a problem, but the bone just barely missed the artery."

"I was worried about that." David agreed. "Look, I just wanted to say great job."

"Thanks." Kieran smiled. "Now I'd better go and inform the family, hey?"

Kieran followed David out of the room and made his way up to the waiting room. When he got there, he saw everyone from earlier plus two wee lasses, twins, sitting together, nursing cups of coffee.

As he stepped closer to them, he caught a whiff of the black liquid and could have wept over the thought of a cup.

"Bloody took ya long enough!" The young man, Cook, stood up and glared at him. "We've been waiting hours!"

"Cook, calm down, son." Rob stood up, and placed a hand on his shoulder, while Gina and Jenna looked at Kieran expectantly.

"Mrs Campbell?" He gave Gina a tired smile.

"Oh, never been married, didn't see the need for it back then." Gina said as her and Jenna giggled nervously, "please call me Gina."

"Oh, right. Well, Gina, it was a success," Kieran stated and could feel the tension in the room dissipate a little, as Gina and Jenna started to cry in relief, "her CT scan showed no internal bleeding on her brain, but we'll still keep an eye on that for now."

"And her leg and arm?" Gina inquired, nervously.

"She has a clean break to her humorous and the clavicle, uh...the upper left arm and collar bone, she's also broken a couple of ribs on top of the bruising to the left side of her torso." He informed the room, knowing that everyone here was itching to know. "Our concern was her left femur, though."

Kieran paused to scrub his hands over his face, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes.

"Is something wrong with her? She's going to be alright, yeah?" A husky voice broke through Kieran's thoughts, and he looked up to find one of the twins in front of him. "Right, Doctor?"

He could see that she had been crying and was on the verge of tears again, so he quickly nodded his head. "She's going to be fine, lass." He said as he sat down on a bench. "The femur was shattered and almost snapped it off at the femoral head. She stretched the inguinal ligament and fractured the obturator foramen."

"Do you think you could explain that in words we might understand?" Jenna asked politely, earning a smile and chuckle from Gina.

Kieran laughed and it felt great after the six hours he spent putting Naomi back together. "I'm sorry...her leg bone was shattered, the top of the bone sits inside the pelvic bone." He started to explain, pulling a pen from his pocket and notebook, drawing them a picture. "The hip joint is here, so we've done the best we could at putting her back together. As for the the stretched ligament, that'll slowly heal, and because it didn't tear or rip completely, we just left that alone."

"So...," Emily was unsure of what she wanted to ask. There were so many questions, that she couldn't just pick out one of them.

"What is it, Emily?" Gina looked to the younger twin, as her heart started to calm down after hearing what Kieran had to say.

"She...Naomi...she's gonna be...," Emily was feeling too emotional, she didn't think she'd be able to settle until she saw Naomi, saw the damage for herself.

Kieran smiled at the girl. "So this must be Emily?"

"Yes." Gina said simply.

"What's concerning you, lass?" Kieran asked her.

"Well, she's going to be laid up for quite some time, with injuries like that, isn't she? Will she be able to do things?" Emily finally swallowed the fear that had been choking her since Cook's call hours ago.

"Yes, doctor, what about her recovery?" Jenna wanted to know the answer, so that they would know what they would need to do.

"It's going to take some time, isn't it?" Gina asked, worried about how this was going to impact Naomi's life.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, it's going to be a long road for Naomi." He said to Gina and Emily. "She's going to need extensive rehab and physical therapy. She's going to have a cast on her arm and after a while, she'll have a brace on her leg...she's going to be in a lot of pain and miserable along with it."

"Great!" Katie piped up from her spot on the chairs, hoping to ease the tension in Emily just a bit. "As if she wasn't moody enough!"

"Fuck off, Katie!" Emily turned and snapped at her. "I get that Naomi's not your best friend, yeah, but she's mine and she's hurt and there's not a fucking thing I can do about it!" Emily couldn't fight the tears that had been building back up since she got to the hospital. It was all too much for her, as she thought about the girl she loved hurting.

"I'm s-sorry, Emsy...I didn't mean it, really...," Katie trailed off, suddenly afraid of her sister and what Emily might do to her.

Rob stepped over to Katie, placing an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright, love, how about we leave these three to finish talking to Kieran, yeah?"

"Yes, let's go to the café down the street for breakfast, my treat." Effy told them, smiling at Katie. "C'mon, Kay."

Katie looked torn and unsure of what to do, as she glanced between Emily and Effy, but Cook decided for her.

"Katie, let's go and give Emily some space, yeah?" He wrapped his arm around her waist, gently leading her out the door, followed by everyone else.

Kieran watched as the room emptied except for Gina, Jenna and Emily. He looked at each woman and judged the depth of their emotions. "I'm sure you all have questions, aye? So how about we get right to it. You ask and I'll do my best to answer."

For the next half hour, Kieran laid out his plans for Naomi's rehabilitation, answering each question that they had as bluntly as possible whilst still being tactful.

"When can I see her?" Emily asked quickly, emotion lacing her voice. Suddenly, she remembered that Naomi's mum was sitting next to her, and realised how rude she was being. "I'm sorry, Gina...I didn't mean to presume...of course you totally should see her first...,"

"Oh no, love...if I'm the first thing she sees when she cracks her eyes open, she'll go ballistic! Thank you, but this one's all you, Emily." Gina told her with a smile, causing Jenna to chuckle.

Kieran chuckled himself, charmed by the older blonde. "Right then. Probably in another," he pulled out a pocket watch from his lab coat, looking at it, "hour or so, we'll move her to a private room. Once we do that, I'll let one visitor at a time in. Now, if you don't have any other questions or concerns at this time, I've got to run and do some charting."

He stood up and after saying goodbye, left the three of them alone.

Emily quickly got up and started pacing around the room, whilst Jenna and Gina talked about changes they would need to make around the houses. She was only catching bits and pieces of the conversation, too concerned with wanting Naomi to be okay, so Emily didn't notice when her mum and Gina started watching her.

"Emily, come sit down, love." Jenna spoke softly, as Gina stood up and shifted one seat over, so she could sit between them. Once the twin was sitting, Jenna hugged her tight. "Listen, working yourself up like this isn't going to help Naomi."

"I know that, mum...but I can't help it." Emily started crying again, feeling pathetic. "I should've been here with her."

"Emily Jane Fitch!" Gina spoke up this time, a hardness to her voice that Emily had only heard once before. "That's silly talk and you know it! Naomi's a big girl, love. She makes her own choices and has for a while, so don't think for one minute that you may have stopped this from happening. We all know there's only one person to blame here, and it certainly isn't you!"

Just the thought of Lisa brought a fresh surge of rage to course through Emily's body. One thing she was going to do whilst she was home, Emily promised herself, was take care of that bitch once and for all.

* * *

She was running through the park, chasing after the little dark haired girl, laughing every time she'd get close enough to touch a shoulder or the sleeve of her jumper, before she slipped away again.

Naomi loved these moments because Emily could be herself, without Katie telling her what to do or what to say or how to act.

"C'mon, Naoms! You gotta keep up or you don't win the prize I got for ya!" Emily shouted over her shoulder, laughing at her.

"Maybe I'm letting you win!" Naomi shouted back as Emily zipped between a couple of trees.

"You would never do that, Naoms." Emily called out panting, as she leant against a tree. "You like winning too much!"

Naomi laughed, because it was true. She was very competitive and even Emily wasn't spared from that. She stopped running about two metres away from Emily, and watched her catch her breath.

"Did you make the girls field hockey team?" Naomi asked, knowing that Emily had had her sights on joining the team.

Emily's smile seemed to brighten the world around them, and that made Naomi smile as well. "I did. Oh, I wish you would've been there to see it, Naoms! It was bloody brilliant! Mrs Cavendish said I'm the fastest girl she's seen in a long time."

Naomi stood still as she watched Emily go on about the tryouts and how she didn't care if Katie thought she was a loser because she wanted to play sports.

"What?" Emily asked her all of a sudden.

"What?" Naomi asked back, unsure of what Emily was asking.

"You're looking at me all funny. Do I have something on my face?"

Naomi shook her head, smiling. "No...I was just thinking, that's all."

Emily cocked her head and scrunched up her face. "Whatcha thinking 'bout?"

"How brave you are." Naomi told her, saying it so simply.

"I'm not brave. If I was, I wouldn't be scared of certain things." Emily replied, the smile leaving her face, causing Naomi to feel sad for a moment.

"Like what?" Naomi asked curious, because she'd never known Emily to scared of anything.

"Just...things."

"Yeah, but what kind of things, Ems?"

"Things, that's all." Emily said ducking her head, but then she sighed. "I l-like someone."

Naomi looked at her best friend, feeling something shift inside of her, but she didn't know what it was. "Does Emsy have a boyfriend?" She asked, in a sing-song voice, and she knew Emily was blushing, even though she couldn't see it in the dying light of the day.

"No!" She drew the word out, scrunching her face up in disgust.

Naomi laughed at the look, because it was adorable, but she knew Emily would hate to hear that. "Alright, calm down, Ems...tell me who you like."

"It's no one, really...I was just making a statement, is all."

Emily wasn't telling her the truth, Naomi could see it, but she could also see that Emily wasn't ready to say anything just yet, so she didn't push.

"Okay, fine. But just remember you can tell me anything, Emmybear." Naomi closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her small friend. "Anything at all, yeah?"

She could feel Emily nod against her neck and she smiled.

"Oh, by the way, Ems?"

"Yeah?" It was muffled because Emily's face was still buried in Naomi's hair.

"I caught ya!" Naomi said as she pulled away from Emily, laughing as the twin spluttered words, because she could form a sentence.

"No fair, Naomi Isabella Campbell!" Emily finally got out, throwing her hands on her hips in a very eerie Katie-like fashion. "We were on a time out!"

Naomi laughed and danced around the twin. "We were on no such thing! Timeout! Timeout, my arse, Emily Jane Fitch! I caught you fair and square, so pay up, little Fitch...where's my prize?"

All of a sudden, lights flashed through the park. Lights from a car, making Naomi wonder what a car was doing in the park.

"Naomi! Watch out!"

Naomi looked around quickly, searching for the person behind the voice, as the lights got closer and brighter and the sound of tyres screeching was deafening in her ears.

She turned to push Emily out of the way, but Emily was nowhere to be seen. "EMILY! Ems, where are you?" She was frantically looking all around her for Emily, but Emily was gone.

Naomi stood there numbly, as the car seemed to move in slow motion toward her. Then, the sound of screeching tyres was replaced with beeps...beeps in stereo, all around her...insistent beeping.

Beep...beep...beep...beep beep...beep beep...beep beep beep...

Over and over again, getting persistent now, but she didn't want to concentrate on the beeps, she needed to find Emily.

"Emily? Where are you?" She kept calling out, even as the car reached her.

She didn't care.

Emily was gone, Emily had left her alone, so let the car run her down. It didn't matter anymore, because Emily wasn't here.

It didn't stop her from calling out for Emily.

But now she couldn't even hear her own voice over the beeping.

"Naoms? Please, babes. You have to calm down. Doctor!"

Emily! Naomi could hear her, but she couldn't see her, so she started turning around in circles trying to find her.

"Emily? I can't see you!" Naomi could hear the panic in her voice, and it sounded strange to her. "I can't see you!"

"I'm right here, babe, you have to open your eyes."

Emily's voice sounded strange, like the time Katie and Mini pushed her down and made her scrape her knee so that it was bleeding, but she didn't want to cry when Naomi found her, but Naomi heard the tears in her voice then, just like she could hear them now.

Naomi realised that her eyes were closed and as she tried to open them, she felt pain radiate throughout her body. Where did the pain come from? And why was she suddenly standing inside a dark room? She knew her eyes were open now, but it was black all around her.

She felt herself reach out and start feeling around for something, anything! Reaching out for Emily!

She was searching for Emily.

"Alright, Naomi...lets get you settled down now." A man's voice said soothingly, even though it was a bit rough.

Naomi felt a pleasant sensation flow through her, lifting the pain from her body, and the fast beeping started to slow down as she started feeling lighter.

"There we go." The man said again. "Are you ready to open your eyes for us, lassie?"

Naomi felt sunlight on her face, as her eyes moved rapidly back and forth under her closed lids. She knew that she needed to open her eyes, but she was afraid as the memory of what had happened and where she was, rushed back to her.

"I can't. I'm afraid to." Naomi whimpered, honestly scared that she'd be alone.

"Well, that'd be a shame, because I've got a small red head sitting here waiting for you to wake up." The man said, coaxing the blonde to open her eyes. "You've been asleep for two days and she's getting a wee bit anxious."

Emily!

That thought raced through her mind as the beeping she had heard earlier came back.

"Naoms, you have to calm down."

Emily's husky voice made Naomi finally open her eyes, and immediately locked onto the soft brown eyes of her best friend, making her smile through the pain.

* * *

Emily sat next to the bed, holding onto Naomi's hand. If she were being honest, Emily didn't think Naomi was ever going to let it go again.

"So...," Emily had tried to bring up Lisa a few times since Naomi opened her eyes two days ago, but she stopped herself, "let's talk about Lisa."

Naomi groaned loudly, throwing her good arm over her face. "Idon'twanna!" She pouted adorably, making Emily giggle a little. "Do we have to?"

"Naoms, she pushed you into the street, into an oncoming car." She replied quietly.

"It's probably safe to say that her and I are through." Naomi tried to joke it away, with a goofy smile. "Don't know why I stayed with her so long."

"Ya think?" Emily stated dryly. "I wanna hurt her. Like, I seriously want to smash her face into a brick wall." She said, her voice hardening as she imagined what she wanted to do to the girl.

Naomi tightened her grip on Emily's hand. "Don't Ems, okay? Just let the police handle her." Since Naomi had woken up, the rest of the family had been in to see her, and Effy and Cook had filled in all her blank spaces, right down to Lisa taking off.

So now it was just her and Emily, alone, and even though Naomi was high on painkillers, she was happy despite the pain and the cast and the fact that her leg looked like it belonged to Frankenstein's monster.

"We'll see." Emily hugged out, turning her nose up at the thought of allowing Lisa to go pain free.

She was about to say something else, when Kieran walked into the room. He smiled when he saw that Naomi was still awake.

"And here's the most stubborn patient I've ever met!" He greeted her, winking at Emily. "How are you feeling, Naomi?" He asked as he grabbed her chart from the door, stepping closer to the bed.

"Good! Great! Wonderful!" She said with a smile.

He gave her a look, then glanced back down at her chart. "Ah, I see they've given you another round of meds."

"Yup!" She confirmed, popping the p at the end, making Emily giggle. "What's so funny, Emmybear?"

"This reminds me of that time when Tony had given us those pills, remember? He didn't know what they were, but you were so drunk that you took one anyway?" Emily asked.

"Right...yeah. Fuck me, I was so wasted that you and Effy had to carry me to bed!" Naomi was giggling softly, feeling the pain, along with Emily as she fuzzily remembered the night. "And when Anthea found out about it, she gave Tony a right good bollocking!"

Kieran watched the two as they continued their trip down memory lane, smiling at how cute they looked, thinking to himself, 'What a gorgeous couple they make.', before he remembered why he came in here in the first place.

"Alright, enough with the tittering!" He growled out playfully. "The reason I'm here, Naomi, is to go over everything with you."

"Alright, Doc! Let it rip!" She said, shooting him a cheeky smile.

He spent the next hour telling Naomi all about her injuries, what he wanted to watch out for and her plans for therapy.

"Fuck! That's a long time, Kieran." Naomi was devastated over the news of being bed bound for a while. "Will I have to stay here?"

Kieran shook his head. "Only for a week or so, but if the leg heals up nicely and we get no nasty infection, I could be persuaded to let you go home. I've already spoken to your mum and Jenna and Rob about all of this."

"About what?"

Emily took this moment to tell her what their parents were doing. "Mum, Dad and your mum are adding on to your house. Well, not really adding on, converting a room. And Cook and a few of the guys he works with are adding wheelchair ramps to both houses."

"Really?" Naomi was surprised by this information.

Emily nodded her head, smiling. "Yeah, we want you to come home, Naoms."

Naomi sat there thinking about every thing, when a thought occurred to her. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Ems."

"Why not? It's a brilliant idea!" Emily stated, wondering what Naomi was thinking about.

"If I'm home, that means someone will have to be with me. I can't ask my mum to stay home, she loves working at the centre working with your parents."

"We've already talked about that." Emily told her. "We're going to do it in shifts."

"What do you mean, we?" Naomi looked at her in confusion.

Emily rolled her eyes and sighed, because she knew she was going to have tell Naomi her plans and she knew Naomi wouldn't like it. "We, Naoms. Your mum, my parents, Effy and...me."

If Naomi hadn't been busted up from head to toe, she would have jumped up and thrown a fit. "No! Absolutely not, Emily!" She exclaimed pulling her hand from Emily's.

"Yes, I am!"

"You're not quitting school to take care of me, I won't allow it!" Naomi tried her best to sound stern, but the pain, even with the pain killers, was too much making her grown in pain.

"I'm not quitting, Naomi." Emily said as she ran a hand over Naomi's forehead, trying to sooth her. "I'm gonna transfer to Bristol, I have an appointment with the dean in a couple of days. It's early enough in the year, so I'll do my pre-reqs here and then when you're better, I'll finish my degree at Goldsmiths'."

Naomi settled down slightly, but only slightly. "I don't want you to do that, Ems." She said quietly, feeling tears form in her eyes. "It feels like you'd be giving up on your dream."

"I promise I won't give up school, no matter what, yeah? It's just...it killed me when Cook called me, telling me that you were in hospital. It felt like I was thousands of miles away instead of a hundred and twenty." Emily looked down at their hands and smiled when Naomi laced their fingers back together again. "I just know if I go back to London right now I won't be able to concentrate on school anyway, because I'll constantly be wondering how you are, what you're doing and if you're doing what you need to be doing."

Naomi was beyond touched at Emily's words, feeling her heart start to swell, thankfully they took her off the heart monitor yesterday, or else Emily and Kieran would've heard the evidence of Naomi's love.

She gave it some though before sending Emily a cheeky smile. "So what you're really saying is...you don't trust anyone else to take care of me? And that I'm incapable of doing what I've got to do unless you're there?"

Emily rolled her eyes at her friend, but laughed at Naomi. "Yeah, exactly something like that, Naoms." She stated dryly, as Kieran laughed watching the whole exchange before shaking his head and leaving them alone.

Naomi's smile got brighter as Emily continued to laugh, knowing in this moment that she wouldn't love anyone like she loved Emily Fitch.

Now maybe one day, she'll actually be brave enough to tell Emily just how much, without the fear of Emily thinking she was a freak.

* * *

 **And another chapter for you all!**

 **Thoughts? Concerns? Loved it? Hated it?**


	4. Coffee Cups and Fisticuffs

**A/N: So I've finally been able to get this chapter finished, so yay me! **

**First let me apologize for the lack of updates lately, but my coworker had to have surgery last month, so I've been working a lot, like.. _.a lot_ a lot! But while I haven't been able to update, that didn't mean I've not been working on my stories, because I have been... :D so here's the next instalment of my crappy story...**

 **oh, and a shout out for the story** **Come Back To What You Know by Hez-xx because it's a fucking awesome story and she's just updated it...so I think you should all head over and check it out and give her some love for that wonderful story!**

 **And as always, major shout to *** mswitsend*** because she's a fucking gem and puts up with my insecurities! So if you haven't done so yet, check out her beyond wonderful story, Stonem House, and give her some loving or prodding...whichever ;D**

 **Disclaimer: it's official! I have to be an adult now because I own a home! What I don't own is Skins or any of its characters... Can anyone teach me how to adult? Because I'm not quite for sure how it's done, so...**

 *******UPDATED FOR TIMELINE REASONS SINCE FIRST POSTED*******

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Coffee Cups and Fisticuffs**

Gina walked carefully down the corridor. She was balancing a takeaway tray full of coffee, and she didn't want to spill any of it.

She couldn't help but be excited, because Naomi was being discharged today. It finally felt like she could breath properly again, knowing that Naomi was going to be more or less okay.

It had been a little over a month since her accident and the surgery to repair her leg, and in that time, Gina had been scared. At first it was the fear of her not making it through the surgery, or that an infection would set in, and then it was the fear of not being able to bring her home, but Rob and Jenna helped ease her mind about that, and Cook and his friends built the ramps to accommodate Naomi's wheelchair. But now? Now she was able to think things over properly and smile, knowing that the outcome was definitely better.

"Hello, Gina." Katie called to her as she left Naomi's room.

A perk to the whole awful situation was Katie, who seemed to be on a mission to become Naomi's new best friend.

"Oh, hello, love." Gina smiled and stopped just before entering the room. "What brings you here today?"

"Well, I told Naomi I'd bring her some clothes that way she didn't have to wear those ugly ones she's been lounging around in." Katie said as she crossed her arms in front of her, rolling her eyes. "You'd think with all these hot doctors and nurses running around here, she'd try to at least make an effort!"

Gina laughed, knowing that Naomi had no interest whatsoever in anyone at the moment. "I don't really think that's a priority at the moment, besides," Gina smiled at Katie, "she has the only person who matters by her side."

Katie smiled back and started to giggle, because Gina was right. "Amen to that, Gina. I wish they'd do something about it and get it over with. Listen, I've gotta run...I'm catching the next train back to London."

Gina leant over to give Katie a kiss. "Alright, love. You're back to your full schedule, right?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah. Now that Campbell's going home today, I don't see the need to be here that much. But I'll be home in two weeks." She explained, feeling a bit sad. "Anyway, Emily should be here in about an hour. She had some business to take care of today."

After a few more minutes of conversation, Gina gave Katie one last hug and watched the older twin leave, before going to see Naomi.

"Morning, dear."

Naomi looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Hey, Mum. Please tell me one of those cups are for me?"

Gina laughed as she saw Naomi practically drool. "Here you go." She handed over the large black coffee. "I just ran into Katie."

"Yeah, she brought me some clothes for later." Naomi said after taking a sip of the black liquid, but then she frowned. "She's been acting weird."

"Katie?" Gina clarified.

"Yeah." Naomi gave a bit of thought. "I'm not sure I like it."

"What, just because she's being a little nicer to you?" Gina scoffed. "Really, Naomi."

"What? It just goes against the whole order of things." Naomi told her, over dramatically.

"She's trying to be nice, Naomi. It wouldn't hurt for you to do the same." Gina tutted.

"I'm just not used to it, ya know?" Naomi said, taking another sip of her coffee. "This is great, Mum. Thank you."

"Well, you've made it pretty clear how shitty the coffee here is, so...," Gina said with a grin on her face.

"The food is shit as well, so did you bring me a cheeseburger?" Naomi asked, smiling cheekily, knowing full well that she didn't.

Gina smiled at her daughter. It was good to hear her laugh. "As if I'd bring you meat! If you want to poison your body that's fine, but don't ask me to play a willing part in that."

Naomi sighed. "Well, it was worth a try. Anyway, I know Emily's bringing me one when she comes, so I'm all good."

"Oh, that makes it alright, then." Gina quipped, as she pulled out a crossword puzzle book and started filling in the answers.

"Mum?" Naomi asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.

Gina looked up and smiled fondly at her. "Yes, love?"

Naomi hesitated because she felt weak thinking what was on her mind, but then remembered what had happened, and said fuck it. "I'm gonna be alright, right?"

"Oh, love." Gina didn't quite know how to respond. Naomi had grown up to be a fiercely independent woman and hated showing any sign of weakness. "Kieran says everything should heal nicely. You've got a long way to go with psychical therapy, but I've never known you to not work hard for something you've wanted before," Gina told her, but then she remembered that there was one thing that Naomi wouldn't work for, "well, that is if we don't count Emily."

Naomi gasped loudly and stared at Gina in confusion. "Whatdya mean? What does Emily have to do with anything?"

Gina gave her a look, along with a smirk. "Really, Naomi? I'm almost insulted."

Naomi swallowed thickly, feeling panic rush through her. ' _She doesn't know! She can't know! Does she know?_ '

"Don't worry, love." Gina saw the fear flash in Naomi's eyes. "Your secret is safe with me."

Naomi could help but squirm in her bed, even if it did cause her a bit of pain. "W-what secret?"

Gina didn't even lift her eyes from the puzzle. "You being in love with Emily, love."

It suddenly felt like all the air in Naomi's lungs had been sucked out of her body. She thought for sure that she had covered up how she felt about Emily rather well. ' _Holy fuck! If Mum knows, does that mean everyone knows?_ ' Her mind was asking itself, as she thought desperately about how she'd acted over the years, wondering what gave her away.

"Relax, Naomi." Gina said from her chair next to the bed, this time glancing at her daughter, knowing that she would be freaking out. "It's not obvious."

Naomi narrowed her eyes before replying. "Then how do you know?"

Gina laughed at the question, shaking her head. "Oh, love...I've known since you were about twelve."

"What? I didn't even really know I liked girls then!" Naomi scoffed, making a big show of her defiance. "There's no way you could have known that!"

"Right." Gina retorted, grinning a bit mysteriously. "Because a mother never knows these kinds of things."

"W-well, m-maybe I did know that I-I liked girls, but not about Emily," Naomi shocked her head, "I didn't know I liked her like that until later."

"Whatever you say, love." Gina tutted as she went back to her puzzle.

"It's true." Naomi pouted, knowing that her mum had already made up her mind about it and nothing Naomi could say would change it. "Whatever! What time do I get to leave this place?"

Gina was about to answer when the door to her room opened and in walked Kieran.

"It'll probably be another couple of hours, lass! Don't get yer knickers in a twist!" Kieran greeted Naomi in his habitual gruff manner that was tempered only by his Irish accent, as the door shut slowly behind him. "I'm finishing the paperwork and then they've got to process it, so it'll be a little while yet."

"Hello, Kieran." Gina smiled and if Naomi didn't know any better, she could swear her mum was blushing. "Patience was never Naomi's strong suit."

Kieran threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, I can see that."

Gina felt her face grow hotter, under Naomi's hawklike gaze, and then remembered the coffee she had brought with her. "Oh, here...," she pulled one of the cups out of the tray and handed it to him, "I thought you might like a decent cup of coffee?"

"Oh...well...that's lovely...," Kieran spluttered, unable to form a complete sentence, "thank you for that, Gina." He blushed, as the woman beamed a smile at him. ' _Fecking hell, man! Get a hold of yerself!'_

"Well, I've been told on a number of occasions how shitty the coffee is here, and after what you've done for my daughter, I figured a cuppa was the least I could do." Gina rambled on, blushing and drawing a smirk from Naomi as she glanced back and forth between her and Kieran.

"Sooo...," Naomi drew out that one small, little word with amusement in her voice, "maybe we could focus back on me?"

Kieran cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Right...so, Naomi," he became more businesslike, shuffling through his case notes, "I've arranged for you to start PT as soon as those bloody casts come off, which could be in a couple of months, barring any problems. As of right now though, you're bed bound. No getting up and trying to walk around, as if you could with that monstrosity of a cast on yer leg."

"Don't worry, Kieran," Emilys voice sounded throughout the room as she walked in behind Kieran, "she won't...will you, Naoms?"

Naomi swallowed thickly as she caught sight of a dressed up Emily Fitch, with a hand on her hip and one eyebrow arched in question. "N-n-," Naomi had to clear her throat and catch her breath as she tried to answer Emily's question, "...no, bed bound is where I'll be."

Naomi wondered if Emily knew the effect her voice could have on other people, how she had the ability to make Naomi do just about anything when she asked in that voice. It was addicting and Naomi had learnt that early on in friendship with Emily.

"Perfect!" Kieran stated, scribbling in his notes before continuing, "So, we'll arrange for in-home care and education, that way yer mum will be able to help care for you when there's no nurse around."

"I want to learn as well." Emily stated as she came to stand next to the bed, earning a smile and a "hello, love" from Gina and a confused look from Naomi.

"That can be arranged," Kieran replied without looking up, "let's see...covered that...covered that...," he muttered as he checked off points on his list, "alright, it looks like everything is covered, so I'll just get this to the ladies upstairs and we'll get you out of here." He smiled at Gina and Naomi.

"Thank you so much, Kieran." Gina said as she stood up quickly. "I'll walk out with you."

Naomi watched as her mum followed her doctor out of the room, noticing the nervous way they both acted toward each other, before turning her gaze back to Emily.

"What's going on, Ems?" Naomi cocked her head looking at her best friend. Something was going on and she didn't know if she was gonna like it. "You can't learn to take care of me if you're in London."

Emily's eyes dropped as her hands started nervously fidgeting and smoothing the blanket that covered Naomi, before she sighed and spoke up. "Naoms, we've already had this discussion, last week...," Emily looked up to Naomi's confused gaze, "I won't be in London." She said quietly, without looking up. "I'm not going back."

"We did? When?" Naomi's eyes widened, as the meaning of Emily's words kicked in. "Absolutely not!" She all but barked out, making Emily jump. "You are _not_ quitting school, Emily! You will not give up your plans to stay in Bristol to help me, I won't have it!" Naomi stated angrily.

Emily's eyes popped open wide, because she had never heard Naomi talk to her like that before. "But-,"

"No, Emily! I'm serious, you will not quit school!" Naomi was getting agitated even though the thought of Emily taking care of her made her giddy.

"Naoms, I-," Emily tried to speak but again she was cut off by Naomi.

Naomi shifted uncomfortably on the bed, trying to sit up a bit more. "Emily, we had a plan, damn it! And I'm not gonna let you throw it away! Not on me, please?"

Emily rushed forward when she saw Naomi grimace in pain. "Stop, Naoms! You're going to hurt yourself." She told her quietly, as she helped Naomi adjust herself. "I'm not quitting school, okay? I knew you were high last week when we talked about this, but I didn't think you were that bad."

Naomi turned her head and had to remind herself to breath as she found herself with her face in the crook of Emily's neck, and the temptation to start nibbling on the pulse point she found was so overwhelming, that Naomi gripped the rails on the side of the bed to stop herself. "W-what?" She managed to croak out, but just barely.

Emily pulled away quickly, because she was on the verge of throwing herself on top of Naomi and kissing her until she couldn't think anymore. "I'm not quitting, Naoms, I'm transferring to Bristol."

"Why?" Naomi asked in disbelief. "Why go from Goldsmiths' to Bristol? It's such a downgrade, Ems."

"Stop being a fucking snob, Naoms!" Emily laughed at the slight disgust she could hear in Naomi's voice. "It's a decent programme and you know it! You were considering Bristol yourself, until you found out that that _bitch_ Sophia was going there too."

Naomi winced at the mention of her long ago ex. "Alright, alright...I get it, but I don't get why you would do that? Ems, you had your heart set on Goldsmiths', didn't you?"

"It's just a school, Naoms," Emily stated, blushing as Naomi looked at her, "one of thousands in the country, but there's only one you."

' _This is it, Naomi! Tell her how you feel!_ ' Naomi's heart was screaming at her to tell the tiny red head how she felt, but her brain was yelling at to keep quiet. ' _She'll laugh in your face, is that what you want? She'll walk out the door and never come back if you do tell her!'_ The war going on inside Naomi was too much for her to take, and she felt like she was going to explode as desire and logic battled with each other.

Naomi was silent for so long, that Emily felt tears well up in her eyes, thinking that she had done the wrong thing. "I'm sorry, Naoms. Effy said it would be a good idea and I didn't think you'd mind, but the programme is just as good as Goldsmiths' and please don't be mad-,"

"Whoa, Ems...calm down and take a breath." Naomi said as she reached out to grip Emily's hand, squeezing it gently. Emily did as she was told, taking deep breaths and sniffing away the tears that had collected and threatened to spill. When it looked like she was calm again, Naomi squeezed her hand again. "Now, start from the beginning and tell me what's going on, okay?"

"Effy and I were talking a few weeks ago, shortly after your accident. She was telling me how she was going to have to find someone to fill in for you whilst you're unable to work, because you've all these clients and projects that needed doing." Emily started explaining, as Naomi sat and listened. "So I offered to help until she found someone. That's what I do when I'm not here."

"You do what, when you're not here?"

Emily glanced into Naomi's eyes, feeling relaxed now. "I've been working on your projects." She told Naomi. "I've finished the three projects so far, whilst Effy has been handling the clients."

Naomi was blown away by Emily's confession. "Three accounts?" She asked, amazed that her Emily had done that.

Emily smiled shyly and nodded, before quickly adding, "To be fair, they were the three easiest ones, but also the ones that were due. The team you guys have is incredible, Naoms and they were really helpful and it didn't hurt that I already knew what you had planned for them." She smirked at the blonde, then decided to see what Naomi had to say.

Naomi for the most part was in awe of the woman before her and she felt like she was about to burst out in tears.

"Naomi? Are you alright?" Emily asked her quickly. "You're mad aren't you?"

"Why would you think that, Ems?" Naomi asked.

"Because you only really cry when you're mad." Emily told her then watched as Naomi's hands came up and brushed tears off her face. "I'm sorry, Naoms."

"She's not mad, Emily." Naomi and Emily both jumped at the sound of Effy's voice, as she silently walked into the room. "She's overwhelmed by your generosity of giving your time to help her out. Naomi just doesn't know how to word it the right way, do ya Nai?"

"Yeah, something like that." Naomi said, rolling her eyes. "Why didn't you guys tell me?"

"We weren't hiding it, Nai." Effy told her as she sat on the other side of Naomi's hospital bed. "Believe it or not, you did have other things to worry about. We didn't wanna worry you with this whilst you were in here, that's all."

Naomi gave Effy's explaination a lot of thought and she realised it made sense. "Okay, but what does that have to do with Emily transferring to Bristol?"

Effy looked almost sheepish, which was weird for Naomi to see. Effy never looked anything other than cool and mysterious. "Well, that was actually both our idea. I made a comment about how Emily should be your fill in, but she said she had to get back to London for school."

"Effy said that was a shame because Gina would more than likely need help kicking your ass into gear about physical therapy and it kinda snowballed from there...," Emily added, looking guilty all of a sudden.

Naomi smiled at her best friend. "It's alright, Ems. She's right, we all know how hard headed I am." She said to Emily, earning a smile in return.

"And let's own the truth, shall we?" Effy said, breaking Naomi and Emily out of the individual bubbles. "You were going to give her the coveted intern position next summer anyways, so...,"

"What? Me?" Emily was gobsmacked by that piece of information. "But...why? I mean...not that I'm not honoured, but...,"

"Because you're my best friend, Ems. The internship was always going to go to you when it was time." Naomi told her, feeling ridiculous under Emily's gaze. ' _You're_ _giving yourself away! Stop it! She's gonna know you love her!_ ' Naomi cleared her throat and averted her gaze away from those brown eyes, as they tried to read Naomi's mind. "Yeah...so, anyway...," Naomi was flustered, feeling like she was being put on the spot.

Effy couldn't help but laugh as she watched Emily and Naomi trying their best not to blush too much and give theirselves away. ' _Interesting...very interesting indeed._ ' she thought to herself, before sobering back up when she remembered something very important. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Naomi asked.

"Guess who called me at the office today?" Effy asked.

Naomi gave the question some thought, but couldn't think of anyone. "Who?" Effy didn't answer straight away, merely staying silent until the penny dropped and Naomi finally realised who she meant. "No! Are you fucking kidding me?" She asked in shocked rage.

Emily looked back and forth between them both, clueless but burning with the desire to know. "Who called?"

"Lisa." Effy stated simply. "She wants to come visit you? She told me to tell you she's sorry for what happened."

"She can't be fucking serious?" Emily asked as her grip tightened around Naomi's hand. She looked at Naomi who sat there shaking in rage. "I'd like to see her try!"

Naomi was calming Emily down, knowing how much like Katie she could get when riled up, when the door to her room opened and Gina stepped back in followed by Jenna and Rob.

"Hello, love!" Jenna said as she came to give Naomi a kiss on her forehead. "So, your mum tells me that we will be learning to care for you. That's good, perfect! I'll be right there with her."

"You don't have to do that, Jenna. I'm sure you've got better things to do." Naomi blushed under all the attention.

Jenna tutted as she sat next to Gina. "Nonsense! Family helps family, isn't that right, Rob?"

"Alright, Jenna. You've embarrassed the poor girl." Rob stated as he saw the red face before leaning down himself to give Naomi a kiss on the top of her head, just as if she was one of his own. "But, she right, love. We'll be right there helping out and don't argue."

Naomi knew she was defeated in this, so she looked at the bright side. "At least Jamie won't be helping...," she stated then looked concerned, "he...won't be helping...will he?"

"Oh, good God no. Although he did offer to give you a sponge bath," Jenna started to tell her, but when everyone except Naomi and Emily started laughing, she paused with a smile on her face, "but he was told firmly that _that_ was not an option."

Naomi breathed out a sigh of relief as everyone else continued laughing, whilst they all settled in to wait until Naomi was discharged. And while she was in a small amount of pain, a nurse came in a gave her a pain pill and took care of that, so she couldn't have been happier to be surrounded by her family.

She was slowly drifting off to sleep when she noticed the room fell quiet and she could again feel Emily's hand grip hers tighter, to the point that it hurt. "Ems," she mumbled, sleepily, "you're hurting my hand."

When Emily didn't loosen her death grip, Naomi peeled her eyes open and looked around the room with blurry eyes, coming to rest on the open door or rather, who was standing there.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" Naomi looked in shock as her mum, the most peaceful person she knew, growled at her ex-girlfriend.

Lisa stood there, not even having the decency to look ashamed. "I've come to see Naomi." She said, stepping into the room a few feet before seeing Emily and Naomi. Lisa glared at the redhead. "I should've known your pet would be here, Naomi."

She went to take a couple more steps further into the room, but Gina stood up and blocked her path. "I think you'd better leave." She said.

"I'm not going anywhere until I sort things out with Nai." Lisa declared, oblivious to the looks of hatred she was getting from everyone in the room.

Naomi was trying to shake the sleep off so she could confront Lisa, but it was so hard to do with the pill they had given her a bit ago. "There's nothing to sort out, Lisa. I'm through. With you, with us...," Naomi looked at her, feeling her anger rise, "you fucking shoved me into oncoming traffic! Who does that?"

"I told you not to come here, Lisa." Effy told her, as she held her mobile in her hand, texting someone. "Did you know that pushing someone into traffic like that is considered grievous bodily harm under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, sections 18 and 20?" Lisa stared at Effy as if she had just sprouted another head. "I can tell that you didn't know that, but it's true. You see, because you _did_ push Naomi into traffic and she did get _hurt_ , rather badly, it's a chargeable offence. But because you left the scene of the crime, it's now a triable offence."

The room was silent, as Lisa took a moment to digest what Effy had just told her. "That's bullshit! I never meant to push her into the street!" She tried her best to defend herself, but Effy started laughing, causing everyone to look at her.

"Sweetie, you committed gbh as soon as you broke her nose and she started bleeding!" Effy replied, smirking at the tall red head. "Now, if I were you, and _thank god_ I'm not, I'd leave right about now, because I've informed the detective inspector in charge of the case that you're here, harassing Naomi."

Lisa was torn between fleeing again or trying to salvage her relationship with Naomi. She really had felt bad about what had happened, and she was sure that with enough grovelling and pouting and the right amount of temptation, she be able to make it right with her girlfriend. Lisa knew she just needed ten minutes alone with Naomi to make that happen, if she could just get rid of everyone else in the room, especially Emily. She choose to take a chance.

"I'd like to speak to Naomi alone, if you all don't mind." Lisa said as she squared her shoulders and stood straighter, trying to prove she wasn't intimidated at all.

What happened next stunned everyone in the room and they all felt that it was happening in slow motion, as Emily, who had stayed silent since Lisa had stepped through the door, flung herself at Lisa, causing the girl to stumble backwards as Emily clung to her and pounded her fists into Lisa's body.

Every ounce of rage Emily had felt since finding out what had happened to Naomi came pouring out in the form of rightly timed punches. Punches that hurt worse each time they landed on their mark. If there was one thing Emily had learnt from Katie, it was definitely how to fight, and thanks to her dad's passion for exercise, the strength she had had made Cook proud on more than one occasion.

Lisa did her best to defend herself, but the younger girl was strong and she found that she couldn't match her physically.

"How dare you show up here, after what you've fucking done!" Emily screamed in between punches. "You fucking cunt!" Punch. "What a waste of space you are!" Punch, punch.

Emily was oblivious to the screams and shouts behind her as she rolled with Lisa on the floor of the hospital, making sure she didn't leave any cuts. Lisa for her part, reached up and grabbed a fistful of Emily's hair and yanked as hard as she could, trying anything to get the little bitch off her, but she go nothing but a growl in response.

Naomi watched with a mixture of pride and horror, as she saw Emily beat the shit out of Lisa. In all fairness, Naomi was shocked it hadn't happened sooner, even though she had made Emily promise not to go looking for her ex. She winced as she saw Lisa reach up and slap Emily right across the face, but it didn't seem to phase her twin and she smiled as Emily retaliated with a solid punch right in Lisa's midsection.

"Emily Jane Fitch, you get off her right this minute!" Jenna cried out after about five minutes, but when Emily didn't stop she turned to her husband. "Rob! Do something, please? Before someone calls security!"

Just as the words left Jenna's lips, the nurses came running to the door to see what the fuss was. Five ladies stood and watched in horror as Emily continued to keep Lisa down, but one of them went back to the desk and called security as Rob stepped into the fray.

"Alright, Emsy, that's enough!" He stated as he reached down to pick his daughter up and off of Lisa.

"Let me go!" Emily growled at her dad, kicking and wiggling, doing her best to get loose.

"I said that's enough!" Rob told her firmly as he held on. "You're scaring your mum, Gina and Naomi!"

Emily heard the tone and knew she wouldn't get another go at Lisa, so she relaxed against her dad as he set her feet on the floor but kept ahold of her. "Alright! I'm done."

The nurses gathered around Lisa and helped her up, checking for cuts. As they started to lead her away from the room, Effy stepped into the hallway.

"The police are on their way to question her," Effy nodded toward Lisa as she spoke to the nurses, "about Naomi's accident."

"We'll make sure she stays put." The nurse in charge stated and Effy nodded her thanks. "Security might be up to ask questions, so be prepared."

Once everyone had settled down back in the room, Emily stood by the door and waited for her beating heart to stop racing.

"Well...," Naomi said slowly, as she looked around at everyone, eyes landing on Emily, "that was rather...eventful, wouldn't you say?"

Emily smiled as the tension left the room, and then all at once they all tried talking over each other. Rob and Effy had decided that Emily's new nickname was Slugger, and Gina gave the younger twin a hug.

"I'm so glad you did that." Gina whispered into Emily's ear. "I wish I wasn't a pacifist just then, because I have been wanting to do that since I found out what she did."

Fifteen minutes later, the detective in charge of Naomi's case came in to get statements from everyone about what Lisa said and did. Once he had everything he needed, he told Naomi that he'd keep her updated on the investigation, but since it was pretty much an open and shut case, the whole thing should be over in a matter of a month or two. He bid everyone goodbye and was about to leave, when another detective came.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for...," the second detective looked at his note pad, "Emily Fitch?"

"I'm Emily Fitch." The red head stepped into the middle of the room and made herself noticeable.

"Ma'am, I need you to come with me." He said.

The first detective looked at him. "Justin, what's going on here?" He asked the younger man.

"It seems Miss Fitch attacked a Miss...," again Justin consulates his notes, "Lisa Porter earlier and Miss Porter is pressing charges." He explained to the veteran detective and then turns back to Emily. "Miss? I need you to come with me, love."

"This is outrageous!" Jenna exclaimed, as Rob put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I've got to take her." Justin said, but then turned to the other detective. "Brandon, I know that you've got to question Miss Porter, and I'm really sorry about this, but she plans to file formal charges."

Emily was scared, but she had known in the back of her mind that this would be a consequence of her actions, so she turned to her mum and dad. "It'll be alright, I'll go with him." She then stepped over to Naomi's bed. "I'm sorry, Naoms. I really wanted to be with you when we took you home."

"It's fine, Ems...she kinda deserved it, yeah?" Naomi said as she released the breath she had been holding in, as Emily reached out and gripped her hand again. She gave it a squeeze before Emily dropped it and turned to go with the detective.

Gina held Jenna as she cried watching her daughter being taken into custody, whilst Rob got some information from the detectives, and Effy stood next to Naomi, who felt useless as the girl she loved more than anyone was being arrested.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, my peeps...poor Emily has gotten herself into quite the pickle, hasn't she? I have already started the next chapter of this one, and have been working on the epilogue for TNC...that one has required a lot of research in the form of having endless conversations with my two year old nephew...(and that's all the hint I'm giving you ;D ) so I'm hoping to post that by the weekend:)**

 **Also, I need a huge favour from all of you still reading my stories...I need to come up with a name for the TV show that will be featured in Constructing Naomily... MSWITSEND and I have discussed a couple names, but I wanna see what you guys can come up with, so if you have an idea, leave a review or shoot me a PM:) at this point that's the only thing holding up the next chapter of that one ;)**

 **Thanks to all who are still reading my attempts at writing :)**

 **love ya,**

 **Marci**


	5. Chapter 5: Shop Talk and Doctor Who

**A/N: Just a quick update to get back in the swing of this…I'm hoping to update Constructing Naomily soon as well.**

 **Just a quick Happy Birthday to harpo7887…I know it's late, but I had to say something ;)**

 **And a huge shoutout to fragrantlily90, who's newest story, "Corporate Sellout" is utterly divine…don't worry, I know I need to review and I will…I've just been a touch busy ;)...check it out if you get the chance.**

 **TheAeacusProject- I'm getting around to Pm'ing you, mate…don't think I've forgotten :)**

 **Also, as ever, a massive shoutout to my partner in crime, mswitsend…you are the absolute best, babes!**

 **Sorry yet again for any mistakes concerning health care and the U.K. Law...**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Shop Talk and Doctor Who**

Naomi was bored.

She was stuck in her room and bored as hell. Not even her room really, because she wouldn't be able to climb stairs for quite some time.

 _'Fucking Lisa!'_ She thought to herself bitterly.

She had been home for almost a month now, and she was going out of her fucking mind. Her days were filled with nurses and parents and Kieran, who managed to stop by at least three times a week. Although, that may have something to do with her mum, rather than checking up on Naomi.

The in-home health care worker had been really great, patiently teaching Gina, Emily and Jenna everything they needed to know. There was the little bit of exercise she was allowed, which hurt like a bitch, and the sponge baths, which were embarrassing, unless it was Emily giving it and then it was just plain torturous. The past month did give Naomi a lot of alone time with Emily and she would never complain about that.

But Emily wasn't here today because the younger twin was in court. She had been charged for assaulting Lisa at the hospital, and it was her turn in front of the magistrate. Naomi had to give a video statement because she couldn't actually go to the hearing, but Effy and Gina went along with Jenna and Emily.

"Naomi?" There was a knock on the door and Rob's voice sounded through the quiet room.

"Come in."

Rob opened the door slowly as he balanced a tray in his hands. "I've brought you some tea, love." He said with a smile.

Naomi chuckled as she watched him step into the room holding the tray gingerly in his hands. "Thanks, Rob."

He set the tray on the table next to the bed, took a seat and started pouring the hot liquid.

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Naomi asked suddenly, her voice sounding small.

Rob glanced up quickly at the question and smiled. He didn't even need to ask who she was talking about. "She'll be fine, love."

"It's just...I hate knowing she got in trouble because of me." Naomi told him as she accepted the cup he passed to her. "I asked her not to do anything to Lisa. I should be mad, but...,"

Rob waited when she paused, but Naomi stayed silent, so he prodded. "But what?"

Naomi cocked her head as if in thought, thinking about the answer. "I'm oddly proud of her for what she did. Is that wrong?"

Rob laughed out loud. "No, love. It's not wrong." He reassured her as he took a drink of his tea. "What was wrong was Lisa showing up at the hospital, and then refusing to leave. Emily was protecting you, Nai."

Naomi was nodding her head, thoughts running rampant in her head. "So what'll happen to her? To Emily?"

"Our solicitor has informed us that because this is a first offense and Lisa had broken a personal protection order by stepping foot into the room, Emily will get probation and community service." He explained and watched all the tension leave Naomi's face. "Does that ease your mind?"

"Yes. Can you just picture Emily in prison?" Naomi asked with a smirk, using humour to cover up her relief.

Rob spent a good ten minutes laughing at the thought of his daughter in jail. "Well, I know for a fact that she's been watching that one show...," he paused trying to think of the name of it, "...something orange...it's that prison show, so I'm pretty sure she'd have a pretty good handle on it."

Naomi's ears perked up at that. She had never actually seen the show, and sometimes she felt as if she was a terrible lesbian for it, because she knew it was wildly popular, but it just never piqued her interest. "Orange Is The New Black?"

"Aye, that's it!" Rob replied excitedly. "Her and Cook watch it...,"

Naomi felt herself deflate at that, the tiniest flash of hope that had flared up dying at the thought of Emily and Cook doing anything together. "Oh." She said quietly, as Rob kept talking.

"...so Emsy will do her community service at the Centre and everyone's happy."

"Yeah...everyone's happy."

They fell into an easy silence, and soon Naomi drifted off to sleep, due to the pain meds that she was still on and Rob left her to rest.

* * *

Emily walked to the end of the hallway, her shoes slapping out a rhythm on the polished marble floor, then she turned around and walked to the other end. She had been doing this for the past fifteen minutes, lost in thought as they awaited to enter into the courtroom. Effy watched her, a smirk on her face.

"Emily! You're doing my head in with your pacing." Jenna finally stated. "Would you please come and sit down?"

Emily looked between Gina and her mum, sheepishly. "Sorry, Mum." She said as she sat down.

"It's alright, love. I know you're nervous." Jenna said with a smile. "Just come and sit down, will ya?"

Emily went and sat next to Effy, who patted her on her knee.

"It'll be alright, dear. We know what to expect and everything will be fine." Gina placated the younger twin.

"I know, it's just...what if the judge decides that that's not good enough?" Emily asked nervously.

"That's not going to happen." Effy said firmly. "She violated a PPO, and Naomi feared for her life. It's pretty open and shut, Emily."

Emily was about to respond with another what if question, when the courtroom door opened and the bailiff stepped out.

"Fitch?" He called out. "Emily Fitch?"

"Right here." She stood up quickly, followed by Jenna, Gina and Effy.

"Would you follow me, ma'am?"

Emily nodded and let him lead the way back into the courtroom, knowing that the judge had made her decision. Emily's barrister, Jackson Craig, followed shortly after her, having had another case in another court somewhere in the building.

They stood and waited for the magistrate to return from her chambers, but when she did, it was just as Gina and Jenna had said, open and shut.

"Emily Fitch...you have been charged with GBH, which as you know is a serious charge." The judge stated, looking at Emily. "You've pleaded guilty to all charges and have claimed responsibility for your actions...as Mr Craig has probably informed you, since this is your first offense and Miss Porter was violating a PPO, you'll be required to complete eighty hours of community service at the Bristol Youth Community Centre. But don't let me catch you back in my courtroom again. Dismissed!"

Emily felt the relief flood her system, as her sentence was passed down, and she smiled at her mum and Gina. She turned to the barrister and shook his hand. "Thank you so much, Jackson. For everything." She said.

The man smiled back at her. "It was no problem at all, Emily. Now, I'll get a crack at Miss Porter on Naomi's case." He told her as he stuffed his paperwork into his satchel. "That girl's a real piece of work, she is! I totally see why you did what you did."

"I know, right?" Emily exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air to emphasise her point. "As long as she gets what she deserves, I'll be happy."

The four of them left the courthouse and started to make their way home.

"Oh, Mum...could you stop at Naomi's office real quick?" Emily asked, remembering some paperwork she had left there.

"That's great, as I've got to go see the printers this afternoon." Effy said, thinking about the almost costly mistake that Emily had caught the day before. "Thousands of pounds we pay that lot and I still have to hold their hand through the whole process." She shook her head in disgust, thinking that they should really find a new print house to use.

Jenna smiled and made the turn that would lead them to the small but very efficient office building that Naomi and Effy called home. She had been so proud of Naomi for building something that the girl took pride in. Jenna remembered when she came home with her degree in hand and announced that her and Effy were going to start their business. Jenna, Gina and Rob took both families and Effy out to celebrate.

It said a lot about Naomi's need for family that she came home and started her business, or maybe it was just her need to be around Emily. Whatever it was, she was glad for it.

Jenna came to a stop in the car park, Effy and Emily quickly opened up their doors to get out.

"Tell Naomi that I'll stop by later, yeah?" Effy asked Gina, getting a yes and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be right back, yeah?" Emily told her mum.

"Alright, love. We'll be waiting." Jenna said as the door was shut and they watched the younger twin run into the office. "I wonder when those two will get their shite together?" She asked Gina, who laughed.

"Soon, I hope." Gina replied, wistfully. "I wish Emily would just come out to Naomi, ya know? It's been ages already! Everyone knows that Naomi is blind when it comes down to it and needs things painted out for her like a work of art." Gina said earning a snort of laughter from her friend.

"It's gonna be interesting, that's for sure." Jenna stated, earning a confused glance from Gina.

"What will be?"

"When they finally realise how they feel about each other." Jenna said simply.

Gina laughed at the idea of it. "I think that's an understatement, Jenna." She responded as she watched Emily head toward them carrying a portfolio. "It's going to be explosive."

Jenna laughed as Emily climbed into the back seat and they took off for home, all of them lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

"So the Morton account is finished." Naomi said, almost signing off on it, as she scanned over the art work in her hands.

Emily glanced at her nervously. "Not yet, no."

Naomi had been awake for about an hour before Emily returned and they had been busy since then, going over all of Naomi's accounts. The Morton account was their biggest to date, so Naomi was always critical of every piece of work that went in to.

As of right now, it looked perfect, so she quirked an eyebrow at her best friend. "And why is it not finished?" Naomi inquired, smirking at the redhead.

"Because Susan wanted something more added to it." Emily said shyly. "She came to see me the other day to tell me."

Naomi's eyebrows quirked upward as Emily told her that.

Susan Morton was the daughter of the owner and the VP of Morton Solutions. She was very good at her job and demanded perfection. But in the year since Effy landed the Morton account, Susan had never made an appearance at the office.

"You'd better watch out, Ems...Susan is a real ladies lady," Naomi's smirked turned into a lecherous grin, "if you know what I mean."

Emily squirmed in her seat, causing Naomi to laugh. "Yeah, I learnt that quite quickly." She responded quietly. "She asked me out to dinner on Friday night."

This shut Naomi up, as her heart lurched in her chest and she thought the worst. "She did?"

Emily nodded. "She wants to go over the graphics for the new campaign."

Naomi nodded along with her, but her heart kept beating hard, because she knew that Susan never came to personally go over the graphics. "I don't think that's a good idea, Emily." She said quietly.

"Why not?" Emily asked, cocking her head to the side and tried to decipher the tone of Naomi voice.

"I just don't think it's a good idea. She's…well…she…," Naomi couldn't exactly find what she wanted to say, other than the truth about her feelings and that just wasn't an option.

Emily felt something shift between them. Something subtle, but definitely there. "She's what?"

"Susan won't care that you're in a relationship, Ems…she'll chase you until she's gotten what she wants and then that's it."

"Is this something we have first hand knowledge of, Naoms?" Emily tried to make a joke out of it, because she really didn't need the thought of someone else touching Naomi running around in her head.

"Absolutely not, Ems! One, she's a client and two…just, no." Naomi responded, almost sounding disgusted at the thought. "And I'd like it if you didn't get first hand knowledge, either." She spat out.

Emily chuckled and shook her head. "Why is that so important to you? Shouldn't I be the one making decisions on who I go out with or not? Or do you think I'm not capable enough to handle myself against someone like her?"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Emmybear." Naomi replied quietly. "Besides, why is this even a possibility? You and Cook have been together for ages, you've got a good solid relationship going, why would you wanna throw that away?"

Emily felt her hackles raise. "First of all, Naomi…you're the one making this into something it's not. For your information, _Effy_ and I will _both_ be attending this "date"! And second, I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."

' _Uh-oh. Emily's mad.'_ Naomi thought to herself, knowing that she had overstepped and she had to reign it in. "I'm sorry, Ems. You're right, I'm sorry. Just…please be careful around her?"

Emily sighed deeply, knowing that her friend was only looking out for her, but was it wrong that she wished it was because Naomi was a little jealous?

"Fine, I'll be careful around the "big, bad lesbian". Does that make you feel better?" Emily had used her finger to make air quotes, causing Naomi to laugh. And Emily was a sucker, because how could she be mad at Naomi when she laughed like that?

"You're such a dork, Emmybear." Naomi said shaking her head. "So, now that work is out of the way, tell me how it went in court?"

Emily spent the next half hour telling Naomi the same thing that Rob had said earlier, and that was okay with Naomi. She could sit for hours listening to Emily talk in that husky voice. Naomi had really started to notice that husky timbre when Emily was about thirteen or so, and back then it started to do strange things to Naomi, like make her heart race faster.

By the time Gina brought dinner in for both of them, they were cuddled up as best as they could be on Naomi's bed, watching Doctor Who. Emily apologised for not helping her, but Gina brushed her apologies away.

She was about to leave, when she remembered the other reason she came in. "Kieran will be dropping by in an hour to check up on you." She informed Naomi, who smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure it's me he's checking up on?" Naomi asked sweetly, making Emily giggle.

Gina blushed. "Well of course it's you! You're the only one with half her body in a cast around here!" She huffed. "I'll expect you to be on your best behaviour, young lady."

Emily and Naomi watched as Gina left the room in a huff and laughed out loud.

"I can hear you, you know!" Gina shouted through the door at them, reminded the both of when they were younger and they laughed louder. "Kids!" She muttered to herself.

Naomi and Emily ate dinner and then continued watching the telly until the doctor showed up.

"How's grumpy doing this evening?" Kieran asked as he stumbled into the room, looking flushed. Naomi suspected Gina had something to do with that, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"Well, she did bring me dinner, so I suppose she's doing alright, isn't that right, Mum?" Naomi stated sweetly, as Gina stepped into the room behind Kieran.

"Why do I even bother?" Gina threw up her hands in disgust and glared at her daughter.

Kieran looked between the two Campbell women, clearly confused.

"Don't even bother, Kieran." Emily told him. "You'll never figure them out."

Naomi smiled at Emily and then turned to the doctor. "Right! So…check up?"

Kieran cleared his throat, knowing that he was missing something, but decided that the little twin had a point. "Of course, of course…," he mumbled to the room and started the check up as both girls smirked at each other over his head.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Kieran snapped his bag shut and locked it. "I must say, Naomi…," he smiled at her as he stood up, "everything seems to be looking okay, lass."

"So when do the casts come off?" Naomi asked, hoping that he'd say soon, but the look on his face told her otherwise.

"Well, lass..," Kieran scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had, "I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with them for awhile." Naomi groaned at Kieran's words, but he rushed on. "Although, I will tell you that you're due for new ones next week. We need to check for any infections on the leg. So, I'm thinking Wednesday, you come down to the surgery and we'll fix you up, sound good?" He asked as he flipped through his appointment book, penciling her in. "Say, around eleven?"

"Yeah, sure...whatever." Naomi replied, unenthusiastically.

"Don't be stroppy, Naoms." Emily chastised her friend. "It's not his fault and you know it. We'll be there." She told Kieran, and got a smile in return.

"Right then, I'll be off." He said as he stood, looking back and forth between the two girls. "I'll see you on Wednesday, Naomi. Emily? Always a pleasure."

He left the room and headed toward the kitchen, where he found Gina sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea. "Well, I've survived another visit with Naomi Campbell. Will wonders never cease?" He stated and Gina looked up with a smile.

Gina laughed as he stepped fully into the room. "So, how does it look? Is everything healing nicely?"

Kieran shifted from foot to foot because Gina made him nervous. "Aye, she's tough that one. I'm sure she'll make a remarkable recovery."

Gina sighed deeply with relief. "She'll give it her best shot, that's for sure." She said, smiling at him. "Would you like to sit? Maybe have a bite to eat? I've got enough."

Kieran was touched at the offer, thinking that his option of hitting his local pizza takeaway seemed dull now. "If you don't mind, that'd be lovely." He replied as he took a seat, whilst Gina stood to get him a plate.

Once she placed dinner in front of him she sat down and watched him dig in. They talked about Naomi a little and he asked about Emily and if they were together. Gina laughed and told him that they might as well be, but no. Then the conversation turned to little things, the weather and what Gina did for a living.

It was almost intimate and cozy. It had a definite date feel to it and Kieran decided he liked the feeling, so he pushed down his nerves and plucked up his courage. "So…Gina? Would you like t-to have dinner with me sometime? Like, a proper dinner?"

Gina blushed at the question, but smiled as she saw that Kieran seemed to be holding his breath. "I think I'd enjoy that very much, Kieran. I'd love to."

" _I KNEW IT!_ " Came Naomi's muffled voice, shouting from her room and Emily's laugh followed.

Kieran looked startled as he and Gina both blushed, knowing that the two girls had been listening to their conversation. "Um…I think that's my cue to leave." He said as he stumbled away from the table and grabbed his bag. "So, Saturday night? I'll pick you up around seven?"

Gina agreed and stood on her tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "That sounds lovely. I can't wait." She told him and then showed him to the door. "Naomi Isabella Campbell!" She yelled at her daughter as soon as she shut the door.

"Uh-oh, Naoms…you're in trouble." Emily whispered conspiratorially as Gina threw the door open to her room.

"And you too, Emily Jane Fitch!" Gina glared at them both a prepared to give them a right bollocking.

Thankfully, no one was watching as Kieran practically floated down the street, whistling as he made his way to his car.

* * *

 **Alright...an update! Yay!**

 **So yes, to answer some questions I've had concerning my stories, I do plan to finish them and Yes, I have two more stories that I've started writing, with loads of ideas for more...(think a two week test drive of a Volvo across Europe, married Naomily with Cook, Katie and Effy thrown into the mix...what could possibly go wrong?)**

 **I know I take longer than most of the writers on this site to update and for that I apologize, but I will not abandon my stories(posted ones and unposted ones) unless something seriously wrong has happened to me!**

 **So please know that I appreciate your patience...**

 **Marci :)**


	6. Is This Love?

**A/N: Sorry for the huge delay, guys...thank you so much for being patient as always, but please remember, if you think I'm taking too long, shoot me a pm and tell me to get my ass in gear! **

**Super shout out to** **xJayJay: I made a promise, and I never break a promise to a lady:)**

 **also shout outs to** **dietcokeandlime! If you haven't read her stories, you should...she's very talented and new to the fandom, so go give her some love:)**

 **and as always, my partner in crime, mswitsend! Love you, babes! She's coming up to the end of Stonem House and has just started a new story called Walls...outstanding writing!**

 **Disclaimer: You all know I don't own Skins...or the characters...**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Is This Love?**

Cook made his way down the platform, toward the exit that would bring him outside Paddington Station. As soon as he hit the pavement out front, he heard his name.

"Cook! Over here!",

Katie stood on the platform, waving at him like a lunatic. He smiled at her and headed in her direction.

"Fuck me! I was sat next to this tosser, who kept trying to preach to me!" Cook told her as he got closer. "I was sure the trip would never end."

She laughed as she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight before pulling back to look up at him. "I've missed you." She stated shyly, blushing as she did.

The words made Cook's heart start beating faster. "Aww, Katiekins." He murmured as he leant down to place a kiss on the older twin's lips. He kept it chaste, barely, and pulled away, savoring the taste of Katie on his lips. "Lunch?" He asked with a smile and the way Katie's eyes lit up made his insides feel funny. Katie had led the way to a small café and they talked while they walked, hand in hand.

For Cook, it was a strange situation he found himself in, because he never saw himself being in a relationship with anyone, let alone Katie Fitch. But something happened the night Naomi got hurt and it had changed him and three months later, he found himself in Katie's bed as often as possible.

The thought again played out as he brought Katie to bed after taking her out to dinner and a movie.

* * *

 _Three months earlier_

" _How the fuck could you let this happen?"_

 _The words echoed through the courtyard, as Cook shouted at himself, crying. Crying for fucks sake! He promised Emily that he would keep an eye on Naomi whilst she was gone, and he never broke a promise to Emily. Ever! But he had broken it and was crying for the first time in his adult life._

 _The anger he was feeling at himself was overpowering and he stormed over to the closest wall, slamming his fist into it, breaking it open. He watched the blood flow from his knuckles as if it was nothing._

" _Well, that was smart!"_

 _Cook jumped and turned to find Katie standing there, with her arms wrapped around herself to protect against the chill in the air._

" _You need to go back inside, Kay…," He told her, defeat clear in his voice, "it's too cold for you to be out here."_

 _Katie watched as Cook slumped back against the very wall he just hit and slide down it, coming to a stop when his bum hit the floor. "I don't gotta do anything, James Cook!" She stated, stepping closer to him. "You wanna tell me what's going through that thick head of yours?"_

 _He struggled to put his thoughts in order, not sure of what to say or if to say anything at all. "What do you want, Katie?"_

 _She shook her head at the unusual timbre of his voice. Ever since she had known James Cook, he had been loud and brash and in your face, but the man before her was broken. 'He seems broken,' Katie corrected herself silently, 'that doesn't mean he is broken.'_

" _I want to know why you're out here, beating the shit out of the wall, real mature by the way," she stated, smirking, trying to get a Cook-like reaction from him, "instead of being inside with the rest of the family? Emily is looking for you."_

 _Cook's head snapped up and he looked at her. "She's probably wantin' to 'ave a go at me! No thanks. I'll stay right here, till I'm ready for a bollocking!"_

 _Katie scoffed at his reply and sat herself down in front of him, placing her hands on his knees and waited till he looked her in the eyes. "Why do you think that?"_

 _He sniffed back the fresh tears that he refused to show to the older twin. "Because she trusted me and I didn't keep my promise, did I?"_

" _James Cook, what are you on about?" The harshness that came out of the older twin was more like it and Cook could handle that._

" _She made me promise that I'd look after Blondie, didn't she? And I fucked it up!" He snapped back, not afraid to upset Katie. It was after all what they were used to, wasn't it?_

" _Oh, for fucks sake, Cook! You couldn't control what happened to Naomi!"_

" _If I hadn't been out fucking around, I could've!"_

 _Anger flashed in Katie's eyes as she watched Cook break down in front of her. "Fuck you, Cook! You're not Naomi's keeper and Emily never should have put that on you!" She stopped to control her racing heart. "Look, we all know how Naomi feels about you, Cook…it's no secret that she despises you because she thinks you are Emily's boyfriend, the blind twat! There was never going to be a moment when Naomi would've allowed you to watch over her!"_

 _Cook stayed silent and thought about what Katie had just said. "I couldn't get to the bastard that was molesting her fast enough." He stated quietly._

" _What?" Katie asked, not sure she heard the statement correctly._

" _The fucker that was feeling Blondie up at the club…," he clarified, "I saw what he was doing, and tried to hurry over, but there were too many people in the way, they wouldn't move…I-I couldn't reach her in time to stop the fucker from touching her…Emily will be angry at me for that."_

" _Jesus, Cook…it happened, okay? It wasn't your fault and it wasn't Naomi's fault! You beating yourself up about it isn't gonna change what happened, is it?" Katie said passionately, causing Cook to stare at her as if she had just grown another head. "Look, Emily's not mad at you, okay? She needs you by her side, to help keep her calm because Naomi's in surgery and she's freaking the fuck out! She's asking where you are."_

 _The softness of Katie's voice, the lisp that had become more pronounced, no matter how she tried to hide it, set off a fluttering in his stomach that Cook had never felt before._

" _You're being too nice to me, Katie…why?"_

 _Katie dropped her gaze and shifted where she sat before shrugging. "That's gratitude for ya, yeah?" She snapped at him, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. "I don't hate you, Cook, no matter what you might think, okay?"_

 _They sat there in silence for a few more minutes until Katie couldn't handle it any longer and stood up, holding out her hand to him. "Up you pop, c'mon!"_

 _As Cook placed his hand in Katie's and she pulled him to his feet, they both felt a spark, but they didn't talk about it as they made their way back inside._

 _Over the next couple weeks, with Emily spending every moment at the hospital with Naomi, Katie and Cook started spending more time together. They had met up one night for a quick dinner after Cook got off work and something felt different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there seemed to be an exciting tension simmering between them that hadn't been there before and as they stood outside the Fitch house after he had walked her home, Katie decided to make a move. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around him and brought his lips down to meet hers._

 _For several wonderful seconds, the two of them kissed and it changed the world for both of them._

" _Whoa!" Cook exclaimed as he finally had to pull away for a much needed breath._

 _Katie had been just as shocked as Cook. "What the fuck was that?" She asked, dazed by the kiss._

" _Aww, Katiekins, do I really have to explain a kiss to ya?" Cook smirked down at her and she smiled shyly back._

" _Shut up, you twat!" She growled out as she pulled him back down for another kiss. She wanted to see if what she felt the first time was a one-off thing, but found out it wasn't._

 _They spent a good ten minutes sharing kiss after kiss until the night turned from chilly to cold and Cook reluctantly bid her good night._

 _As he walked home, Cook had the urge to call Emily and talk to her about what might be going on with him and Katie, but he didn't. She was busy worrying about Naomi and he didn't wanna add to that, so he did his best to sort out his own feelings._

 _When Cook reached his place, he cracked a large grin and pulled out his mobile._

 _ **What are you doing tomorrow night?**_

 _He fired off the text, then unlocked his door and stepped into his flat. He had come a long way from the messed-up kid he had been when he first met Emily and it showed. He placed his keys in the bowl on the hallway table, kicking off his shoes as well as hanging his jacket up._

 _Cook walked into the kitchen, placed his mobile on the work surface and put the kettle on to boil, as he slipped off his shirt whilst he walked down the hallway to his bedroom. He changed into a pair of sweats and clean socks, then padded his way back to the kitchen when the whistle alerted him that the kettle was done._

 _His mobile buzzed and vibrated across the table top and he smiled as he reached for it._

 _ **I was going to visit Naomi and take her some magazines. Why?**_

 _He laughed, because taking magazines to Naomi was such a Katie thing to do. He replied as he shook his head._

 _ **Go out with me? Like a proper date. Dinner? Movie? Say about, 8? Please?**_

 _Katie's reply didn't take long and as Cook read the_ _ **yes please!**_ _he felt accomplished._

 _After that first date, whenever Katie wasn't at the hospital, she was out with him and Cook felt on top of the world, even though a part of him felt guilty for not saying anything to Emily. Katie felt the same way, but they both knew how preoccupied Emily was with Naomi, so they kept putting it off._

 _But they both knew that they would have to sit Emily down soon and tell her about them, because as far as Naomi still knew, Cook was Emily's boyfriend, not Katie's._

* * *

Katie flung herself back against her bed, spent from the shagathon that started Saturday after they had gotten back from dinner and movie and lasted well into Sunday afternoon. She was trying, and failing, to catch her breath. To say she had been screwed senseless would be an accurate phrase.

Cook looked accomplished, as he gazed at the brunette resting next to him. He knew he shouldn't stare, but he really couldn't help himself. Katie was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even if it had taken him a few years to realise it.

"I'm gonna tell Emily about us." He said quietly into Katie's neck as he snuggled in closer, waiting to see what she would say.

Katie felt her heart speed up faster, as if that was even possible, and a sliver of fear and shame raced through her. "What, now?" She asked, panic clear in her voice.

Cook pulled back from her and looked at her sceptically. "You don't want her to know about us?" He asked as he tried to look into her eyes.

Katie hurried to sit up as she looked for something to put on. "No…it's not that…it's just…," she trailed off as her thoughts became a mess. She didn't know how to voice her thoughts the right way without sounding like a complete twat.

Cook cocked his head to side, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "Babe, what's going on? Are you…ashamed of me? Am I not good enough for you? Is that what you think?" He was confused and to be honest, a little scared, because he was feeling things for Katie that he had never felt before.

Katie didn't know how to voice her fears and it usually came out as harsh words, but she knew that she couldn't do that at the moment. Cook honestly thought she was ashamed of him, that was clear to see and the hurt that shown in his eyes was more effective at stabbing her in the heart than anything else she had ever know.

"I'm not ashamed of you, James…," she said quietly, as if talking would disrupt the tranquility of the world that they had created for themselves, "I'm in love with you and when Emily finds out I've been keeping this a secret, for taking you away from her, she'll kill me." She finally told him how she felt, as tears streamed down her face.

Cook was shocked. Love? He felt his heart lurch at the thought. Is that what this was? This feeling that he'd been having for awhile about the older twin? Was he in love with Katie? He didn't know for sure, because he had never felt this before. But the thought appealed to him on level that he never knew existed.

Katie watched as Cook's face morphed from shocked to embarrassment to something else she couldn't put a name to and she felt herself deflate. She knew she shouldn't have told him how she felt. She should've just kept it to herself and now she knew Cook was going to laugh at her.

She was so deep in self pity that she didn't even realise that Cook was trying to get her attention until his lips were on her's, kissing her senseless.

"Whoa!" Cook exclaimed when he finally pulled away for air. He wanted to shout for joy, or giggle, he wasn't sure which but either of them were so out of character for him that he was hesitant.

Katie kept her eyes closed, afraid of him rejecting her now that she'd opened her big mouth and told him how she felt, but when she felt his shaking hand caress her cheek, she gasped. "Please don't hate me." She whispered so softly, the insecurity she felt clearly evident.

Cook felt his heart lurch at the plea. "Katie…babes, open your eyes, please."

She cracked one eye open to gauge his face, surprised to see a small smile. "Are you laughing at me?" She asked, her voice still sounding small.

Cook shook his head. "Fuck no, Katie…I would never-,"

"Yes you would." Katie was on the verge of crying again.

Cook wrapped her arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "No, babes, I wouldn't. Not about this, because…I don't know…fuck! I know I'm gonna mess this up, ain't I?" He blushed and took a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure that I love you too." He said, pulling away to see her face. "I mean…I've never felt this way about anyone, so I could be wrong."

Katie held her breath, scared and excited all at the same time. "You do?" She asked, hopefully.

Cook's grin morphed into a smile so wide, that it threatened to split his face. "Ya, I do."

Katie screamed in happiness and wrapped her arms around him, raining little kisses all over his face. When she pulled away, she stared into his eyes, as if searching for any doubt. "I'll be home on Thursday. We'll tell Emily then, yeah?"

Cook laughed before capturing her lips in a searing kiss, knowing that he was going to be late to work tomorrow, because wild horses couldn't have torn him away from Katie at that moment.

* * *

" _Bloody fucking cock sucking cunt!_ "

Emily sat chuckling on a chair in a room just outside the physical therapy session room, where Naomi was currently practicing her swearing technique and even inventing some new colourful phrases. She had been asked to wait by Naomi, who didn't want Emily to see her struggling. They had been there for almost an hour, surprisingly as it was only Naomi's first visit.

They had been working at home with Naomi once she'd had the cast removed from her arm, which was about two weeks ago, but the leg cast she'd been in since the surgery had just come off the week before and Kieran wanted to get her working on it as soon as possible.

" _ALRIGHT! ENOUGH!_ "

Naomi's voice carried even louder than before and Emily jumped up, as she heard the physical therapist trying to placate her friend. She had just opened the door when Naomi's anger struck again.

"No, you listen, mate! I'm done!" Naomi shouted at the man.

"What's going on in here, Naoms?" Emily asked as she came up behind her, taking in the redness of Naomi's face and the sweat that seemed to pour off her body.

"The patient is being fractious and impertinent." The man stated haughtily, with an air of superiority about him that Emily wanted to beat out of him.

Naomi's face turned a darker shade of red that had nothing to do with working herself too hard. "Fractious _and_ impertinent?" Naomi's eyes widened in shock at what the therapist had just said. "You useless fucking _wanker_! You do realise that I've been laid up for the past three months, yeah? I've come here for you to help me, not fucking berate me for not being able to jump through your fucking hoops on the first try!"

"Naoms, please, sit down." Emily noticed that Naomi was shaking, using every ounce of strength she had to stay standing against the parallel bars. When Naomi did sit, Emily took a breath and turned to the man. "Listen," she paused to read his name tag, " _Henry_ , maybe you didn't know that this is Naomi's first time out of the house, am I right? I mean, what kind of professional would push a new patient this hard?" Contempt was dripping from Emily's tongue as if it was second nature. It was like she was channelling Naomi and Katie both at the same time. She watched as Henry shifted from foot to foot, becoming uncomfortable under Emily's glare. "Only a dickhead, I would think, so are you that dickhead? Because if so, I would have you in front of your supervisor so fast, that you wouldn't know what hit you."

Now Henry was the one sweating, because he knew he was hanging on by a thread here. "No…I didn't know that. I must have read the patients notes wrong." He mumbled, backing away slightly from the short girl.

"Well, I think we're done here, don't you?" Emily stated as she reached over and grabbed hold of the wheelchair that Naomi had started using about two months earlier. "As a matter of fact, I think Naomi has a few choice words to say to your supervisor anyway, don't you, Naoms?"

Naomi eased herself up straighter in the chair and smirked at her friend, finding Emily extremely hot right at the moment, and managed only to nod because she knew that if she tried to speak, she would stutter uncontrollably.

Emily wheeled Naomi out of the room, leaving Henry standing there shaking in panic, and down the corridor to the supervisor's office. After twenty minutes, Naomi was satisfied that starting next week, she would have a new therapist and Emily hummed softly to herself in content.

On the drive home, Naomi happily sat in the passenger seat of her car, and kept sneaking glances over at Emily. "When's your next class, Ems?" True to her word, Emily had been attending classes at Bristol University whenever she wasn't at Naomi's. "Isn't it like, in an hour or so?"

Emily looked at the clock on the dash of the car and smiled. "Yeah, I've got a computer lab, but I've got time to drop you off at home, yeah?"

She replied and Naomi tried to hide her disappointment, but obviously failed, because Emily quickly asked if she was alright.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine…it's just," Naomi knew her voice sounded small, weak almost, but she didn't care, "I just don't wanna go home yet, yeah? I've been cooped up for months and well…it's nice being out, with you."

"Aww, Naoms," Emily had to swallow the lump that just formed in her throat, finding Naomi adorable as she rambled, "do you wanna go with me to my class?"

Naomi rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Not if you're going to tease me about it!" She snapped playfully, feeling better than she had in months. "I'll take you out to eat afterwards, if you play your cards right." She smirked at Emily, who merely smiled back, with a look that Naomi couldn't quite place in her eyes.

Emily kept her eyes on the road and thought over what Naomi had said and couldn't help the wish that Naomi would ask her out on a real date. When she realised that she was taking too long to answer, she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and smiled at her friend.

"Yeah, that's sounds like fun." She said, forcing a cheerfulness she didn't really feel, because Naomi looked so pleased to be going with her instead of going home, and Emily didn't want to ruin that.

"To school we go!" Naomi stated excitedly, practically bouncing in her seat, causing Emily to get over her self pity and laughed.

* * *

"Emily? Wait up?"

Naomi cringed at the nasally sound coming from behind her, as Emily pushed her wheelchair through the car park. She knew who it was without even turning around.

Mandy _fucking_ Kapadia! Naomi had only met the girl an hour and a half earlier, and already she couldn't stand her. First off, she was way too tall! Naomi now sported a crick in her neck from looking up at her. And she was way too friendly with Emily.

When Emily wheeled her into the room, Naomi had been excited, because nothing made her happier than spending time with Emily, but as the class started and went on, Mandy decided that her new favourite spot was next to Emily whilst they studied.

She was even polite when Emily introduced the girl, "Naomi, this Mandy Kapadia. I have a couple of classes with her. Mandy, this is Naomi." Emily was careful not to use Naomi's last name, because the blonde hated the teasing remarks that others made.

"Hello, Naomi. I've heard so much about you." Mandy responded, although you could tell she was forcing the sincerity in her voice. And Naomi bit back her retort of _"Nice to meet you, but I've heard nothing about you!"_ , and just said hello and they all settled in for the class.

Which wouldn't of been so bad if the darkheaded girl had stayed quiet and hadn't of kept touching Emily whenever she would lean over to ask a question or if Mandy would've stopped looking at Emily like she was undressing her with her _fucking_ eyes!

"Emsy, hold up a tick!" Mandy called out again, and whilst Naomi scoffed and rolled her eyes, Emily sighed deeply, but stopped.

"Ems, I'm really tired." Naomi stated quietly, trying to keep the contempt for Mandy out of her voice, but she felt the need to get Emily away from the dark girl and alone, just the two of them.

Emily leant down, rubbing her hand on the back of Naomi's shoulder, and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I know, Naoms...I'll just be a second, yeah?" Naomi nodded and Emily stood up and turned toward Mandy. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up later...over coffee? Go over today's lesson?" Mandy asked, the hopefulness clear in her voice. "Maybe after you drop your friend off at home?"

Naomi rolled her eyes and scoffed again at the obviousness of the brunette.

Emily felt uncomfortable, as Mandy stood there waiting for any answer, knowing that Naomi was listening. It was no secret on campus that Emily was gay, she had joined a couple of clubs for LGBTQ issues, and had met some girls, but she didn't date any of them, and wouldn't ever consider dating anyone, not when she was almost living out her fantasy of a life with Naomi.

' _Seriously, Emily?_ ' She questioned herself silently. ' _Could you be any more pathetic?_ ' But she brushed those thoughts aside as Mandy continued to stare at her. "I don't think so, Mandy. We've had a long day and I'm probably just going to go home and relax."

The brunette looked disappointed. "Oh, okay...maybe another time?" She asked hopefully. Mandy had been working her ass off to impress Emily since she started classes after the beginning of the term, but she had gotten nowhere. "Maybe we could go out for a drink?"

"She'll have to ask her boyfriend." Naomi snapped, sick of hearing the girl's pathetic attempts at asking Emily out.

"She's not-," Mandy started to protest, confused about the statement.

"I'll see you in class, Mandy." Emily cut her off quickly, cheeks pink in embarrassment and fear, and started to push Naomi to the car. "C'mon, Naoms...lets get you home, yeah."

Naomi could hear something in Emily's voice, a shakiness that wasn't there before, and wondered at the reason for it. "Are you alright, Ems?" She asked, after Emily stowed the chair in the boot of the car and slid into the driver's seat. "You seem...afraid of something."

Emily felt her heart constrict at the thought that Naomi might possibly know her secret. She honestly didn't know why she still refused to tell her the truth, because really, how do you explain to your best friend in the whole world that you're gay and you've been keeping it from her for years! She's been lying to the one person who matters most to her and she doesn't know how to tell Naomi the truth. And the thing that is killing her the most, is that the more time Emily spends with Naomi, alone, the harder it's getting to keep it from her.

She was so lost in thought, that she didn't hear Naomi talking to her, until she felt a hand on her arm, sending jolts of electricity throughout her body. "What? Sorry, did you say something?"

"Emily, what's wrong? You've been weirded out since talking to your friend." Naomi asked, running her eyes over her friend's face, taking in the tight-lipped grimace and the way Emily's forehead was creased with lines.

"She's not really my friend, she's just someone I share some classes with." Emily replied as she started the car and eased out of their parking spot. "Sorry, Naoms...I'm fine, really."

Naomi wasn't convinced, but didn't want to push. "If you want we can go home. Maybe you could call Cook?" She said quietly, turning her eyes to watch the passing scenery. "I realise that I've been keeping you away from him, so...,"

"You're not keeping me away from Cook, he...," it was there, the urge to tell Naomi the truth was right on the tip of her tongue, but then she remembered when Naomi found out about Sophia all those years ago and Emily couldn't do it. The fact that she had been lied to, Naomi never did get over that and Emily had been lying to her for a long time. So she swallowed the words, and smiled, shaking her head. "He's working late and you promised me dinner, so what'll be? Thai or Italian?" Naomi's smile lit up the car and made Emily's problems disappear for awhile, as she followed the blonde's directions to a new Thai place that had just opened.

Once they were seated and ordered, they talked and laughed. The laughter continued through dinner, and they talked about almost everything under the sun over dessert. And they both skirted around what each of them _really_ wanted to talk about, but neither of them wanted to ruin the perfect evening.

And Emily held in the tears that had threatened to choke her the whole night, because it was almost everything she had dreamt of, a date with Naomi. She didn't let them fall until she was safely tucked away in her bed, because she knew deep down that she couldn't go on this way. She made up her mind then that she would tell Naomi everything and deal with the fallout.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think :) review or send me a pm**

 **love to you all for sticking with me and this story:D**


	7. Chapter 7: Wheels in Motion

**A/N** **Hello people! Sorry about the delay...I know I sound like a broken record, but real life really does get in the way...now if only I could find my soulmate...but I digress...**

 **To the guest who reviewed the other day with the simple "** : ** _Ugh. I miss this story._** " **Your message was heard loud and clear.**

 **Huge shout out to everyone suffering from Hurricane Harvey, and if any of you guys went through that, please know you're in my thoughts and prayers.**

 **okay peeps, I need you all to send prayers and/or good thoughts out to MsWitsEnd  and anyone else who is in the path of Irma. Please be safe.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Wheels in Motion**

"Good morning, Naomi. I'm so pleased to see you again." Thomas Tomone smiled as Naomi walked herself into his physical therapy room, a quick glance behind her, and he noticed that she was alone. "No girlfriend today?" He asked, expecting to see Emily, his Congolese accent light and friendly.

Naomi's heart fluttered as she felt the blush across her face. She'd be lying if she said she didn't like the sound of that. "Emily's not my girlfriend, Thomo. Best friend only." She explained, although she couldn't help the hint of bitterness that had snuck in her voice. She tried to smile up at her new physio therapist as he smiled brighter.

"No matter, today is going to be an excellent day, Naomi." He said as he started going through his checklist. "Let's get you up on the treadmill, yes?" She nodded and headed over to the machine, taking care to lean her crutches against the wall, before stepping up. "Remember, take it slow, work up to a steady walk."

"Okay." Naomi started the machine and cursed at it, knowing it was her worst exercise.

She had been fitted for a brace a few weeks earlier and whilst it was cumbersome, it had allowed her to ditch the wheelchair and move about almost properly. And once she had been assigned to Thomas, he was able to get her up and mobile, making her therapy a little more enjoyable. It was so nice to have someone who didn't try torturing her. Thomas had merely sat with her the first time and went over where she was physically and what they needed to do to get her up and walking.

"So, Emily is in school today?" Thomas asked as he came over fifteen minutes later to check Naomi's speed and to make sure she wasn't over doing it.

Naomi sighed, she was running out of steam. "No. Her and Effy had a meeting with a client this morning." She explained, trying not to think about who the client was, but failed as jealousy ripped through her.

Thomas heard the emotion that Naomi had tried to hide and chuckled to himself as he shook his head. "No matter. Today we're going to remove the brace, yes?"

Naomi swallowed down the lump that suddenly formed at the thought of taking the brace off. "A-are you sure t-that's a good idea, Thomo?" She asked nervously.

Thomas smiled. "It's not permanent yet, Naomi, it'll only be for a brief time. The goal is to get your strength back, build those muscles up, so that eventually we will lose the brace altogether." He explained as he reached over and turned off the treadmill. "Come on, Nai…let's give it a chance?"

Naomi nodded and stepped down gently from the machine, following Thomo over to the chair that was set up next to the parallel bars. Over the last few weeks, these bars had become Naomi's nightmare, as she went from her first few steps and pushed herself through the pain of making it from one end to the other without wanting to pass out. It had gotten better, sure, but she would still wake up at night as she dreamt about the pain that would accompany the exercises.

Thomas waited until Naomi removed the brace and set it aside. Once she made sure it wasn't in the way, she grabbed hold of the bar in front of her and pulled herself to a standing position, taking baby steps to bring her between both bars. She knew she need to put more weight on her injured leg, but the painful memories engulfed her as she stood there.

Thomas watched her stand there for a few minutes, knew she was nervous about taking that first unsupported step, so he offered encouragement. "C'mon, Nai," he said quietly as he placed his hand on her back, showing he was right there, "you can do this."

"I don't think I can, Thomo." Naomi's voice was quiet and shaky.

"What would Emily say right now?" He asked, knowing the answer.

Naomi chuckled, although it was slightly wavering. "She'd tell me to get over myself and put one foot in front of the other."

Thomas laughed. "Yes, she would. So, what are we gonna do about that?" He smiled as Naomi took that first step without the brace, sighed in relief as she kept taking step after step and laughed along with her as she reached the end and nervously started to giggle.

They spent another hour working, and Naomi pushed herself harder than she'd ever done before. When she cried out after making one final turn around, Thomas saw the sweat pouring off her and the redness in her face and knew he had to put a stop to it.

"C'est assez." His voice floated from behind her, but she continued taking steps, determined to make it to the other end. "That is enough, Naomi." Thomas said again in English, quickly setting a chair right behind her as her knees started to buckle, catching her in time. "Femme têtue. Poussez toujours trop fort."

He continued in French, getting a shaky laugh from Naomi. She knew it wasn't good if he was speaking in his mother tongue. "I know, Thomo, I know." Naomi said as she sat, wiping the sweat off her brow. "I get ahead of myself, ya know?"

Thomas handed her a towel, and regarded her intently. "You have to pace yourself, Nai. I know you want things to be like they were before, but that takes time, especially an injury like yours."

Naomi knew she was going to pay for this later, but she honestly couldn't help herself. She reached down and picked up her brace and started to put it back on. "I do want to be able to walk properly again, but...," She trailed off, unsure if she should confide in her therapist.

"But what?" Thomas asked, pulling a chair up next to her and sitting down. "If something is troubling you about your therapy, we must talk about it, yes?"

Naomi shook her head. "It's not the therapy, Thomo...," She stated with a sigh, "once I'm healed all the way, things at home will go back to the way they were before."

Thomas cocked his head as he contemplated her words, confusion written clearly, until the penny finally dropped. "You will miss time spent with Emily?" He asked, but he knew the answer already and smiled when Naomi nodded.

"Is that wrong?" It was small and quiet, and Naomi looked up at him sheepishly.

Thomas laughed. "Sorry, Naomi. I am not laughing at you, it's just...," he tried to reign in his mirth as Naomi glared at him, but he continued, "you remind me a little bit of myself."

Now it was Naomi's turn to look confused. "How so?"

"My wife, Pandora, was the first friend I made when I came here from the Congo," He started to explain, "she was so friendly and beautiful and funny...she made being here alone, without my family, bearable. As time went on, I started falling in love with her, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship, it was so very important to me, you see, because what if she didn't feel the same? What if all she ever saw in me was her best friend? What if she didn't love me like that? All valid reasons to stay silent about my feelings, yes?"

"Exactly." Naomi agreed emphatically, not realising that she had just sort of told Thomas that she was in love with Emily.

He smiled but decided to let it go for now. "But the longer I went on, keeping my feelings to myself, the longer I had to watch as she went out with one guy after another, and I had to listen to her talk about them, all the while my love for her was raging on the inside and growing until I felt for sure that it was going to explode from within and cause damage."

Naomi was, oddly enough, on the edge of her seat, enthralled by Thomas' words. "What happened? Obviously, it worked out if she's now your wife, yeah?"

"Oui, we did get married, but it took her having to bang my head against a wall to knock some sense into me." He stated sadly, as he remembered the pause in their friendship. "I started pulling away from her, trying to build up a wall to protect myself from the pain of having to be near her everyday without being able to do anything about how I felt...but then Panda had met someone, he wasn't very nice to her. He would cheat on her and talk down to her, made her feel stupid...but she...," he trailed off as he remembered, "she stayed with him until he broke her arm."

"Fuck, Thomas...," Naomi was shocked and sympathetic, "I'm sorry. What happened?"

Thomas smiled a sad smile. "All those feelings that kept growing and bubbling exploded. She called me, told what had happened and I ran to her. I found her curled up in a corner and he was passed out on her couch. I was so...angry." His fists clenched at the thought of what had happened, but he struggled to go on. "I was angry at him yes, but angrier at myself for not being stronger, for being afraid.

I took all that anger and I grabbed him up, dragging him from the house and out to the street, where I let everything I was feeling, all that anger at myself and him, all that love for Pandora, just...everything I was feeling, explode. A neighbour called the police when they heard the noise, but I couldn't stop hitting him. I remember an officer pulling me off, asking me what was going on, and then later, at the hospital, Panda had a go at me because she had known all along how I felt and how she loved me too...," Thomas looked up and saw Naomi glued to his every word, knowing that he had gone off track, "the point I'm trying to get at is this, it's okay to be afraid when you love someone, Nai. It's okay to want to protect yourself, but you also have to know when to be brave and face those fears and when it's time to let your walls down and let them in."

Naomi sat up a bit straighter, letting his words sink in, confusion clearly written on her face. "I don't get it...let who in?" She asked him, innocently.

Thomas smiled and it lit up the room. "The ones who love you back."

It was said so simply, yet so profoundly, that Naomi couldn't move. To say her heart didn't skipped a beat and then start racing at the possibility that Emily might, just maybe, kinda feel the same way for Naomi as she did for Emily would be a lie.

But the thing that really struck Naomi paralysed was the question running through her mind.

' _Am I strong and brave enough to find out?_ '

* * *

She meant to tell her the truth. She honestly did. Many times, over the last month those words were there, ready to come out. But every time Emily thought about it, that fear of Naomi hating her crept in.

On the surface, everything seemed perfect. Emily would take Naomi to therapy, then go to classes or to work with Naomi, who had been given the okay to do so from Kieran, and it was great. Seriously great.

Well, it would've been, if it wasn't for that nagging little voice, telling her she was wrong.

That little voice was very loud and clear, telling Emily that she was a liar. The whole situation was tying her up in knots and she didn't know how to fix it.

Emily sighed in defeat.

"I'm sorry," a smooth voice broke through her thoughts, "am I boring you, Emily?"

Emily felt herself blush as she remembered that she was a lunch with client. "I'm s-sorry, Susan...no, it's...I didn't mean...," she saw the amused look on the woman's face, the kind of look a parent gives a child when that child is being silly, and she shut her mouth with an audible click. "I've got a lot on my mind." She snapped out, earning an admonishing look from Effy, but Emily could help herself. She hated when people patronised her.

Susan laughed, enchanted by the flustered young woman and wondered again how she could get Emily to go out with her. "I'm sure you do. If you'd let me take you out, I could help you relax a bit."

Emily blushed again and shook her head. The woman really hated taking no for an answer, because she asked every time. "Thanks, but I've got it covered. Can we get back to work?" Emily replied, using the sweetest voice she could.

"That's a splendid idea, Emily." Effy finally entered the verbal sparring match. "Susan, we've made all the changes you've requested and we're ready to go to print. It would be very helpful if you could sign off on this." She pointed to the papers lying on the table in front of Susan. "Naomi's ready to get this done."

Susan looked surprised. "I thought Naomi was still in hospital?" She smirked at the redhead. "Besides, I don't mind working with Emily."

Emily could feel the contempt for Naomi dripping off Susan's tongue and she had to bite her lip to keep from snapping at her again. "You know very well that she hasn't been for some time now, Susan." Emily told her through gritted teeth. "Look, we have another appointment later this afternoon, so we need to wrap this up."

Effy placed a comforting hand on Emily's arm, trying to calm her down as Susan continued to be smug and condescending. "She's right, Susan, we do have somewhere else to be, so you look these over," Effy placed the packet of proofs in front of her and smiled, "give me a call and let me know what you decide, yeah?"

Susan nodded. "Right. Or I could stop in at the office?" She proposed, sending another sultry look in Emily's direction.

Effy felt Emily tense up and knew she would only hold on to her patience for so long, so she rummaged through her bag, pulled out her keys and handed them to the redhead. "Emily, would you be a dear and bring the car round?" She asked.

Emily didn't say anything as she took the keys and grabbed her bag, making her way out of the restaurant, feeling Susan's eyes on her the whole time. The woman made her feel violated and she was only too glad to get away from her.

Effy waited until Emily was outside before she turned back to glare at her biggest client. "You do realise that it's bordering on sexual harassment now, don't you?"

Susan stared back, trying to look innocent, but not quite pulling it off. "I don't know what you mean." She replied, indignantly.

Effy smirked, cocking her eyebrow up and watched the older woman squirm. "Of course, you do, but just in case you need it pointed out to you, from now on, you'll deal with me. No more stopping in to talk with Emily and if I hear you've asked her out one more time, I'll have charges filed."

Effy left a stunned Susan sitting alone as she stopped at the bar to pay the bill, then followed Emily outside.

"Sorry about that, Ems...," Effy slid into the passenger seat of her car, and gave the other girl a small smile, "I knew she was aggressive but that was well beyond appropriate."

"It's not your fault she's a creeper, Effs." Emily said as she pulled away from the kerb, carefully merging into traffic. "I wish she'd get it through her head that I'm not remotely interested, that's all."

Effy laughed as Emily pulled out into traffic, making sure she didn't hit anyone. "I knew she was persistent, but l never thought she'd stoop to borderline harassment."

"I know. And did you hear the way she said Naoms' name?" Emily scoffed as she shook her head. "Seriously, it's a good thing you called an end to that meeting, Effs. I don't know how much longer I could've lasted without punching her in her face."

"That would've been excellent for customer relations." Effy responded dryly, causing Emily to laugh out loud. "C'mon, let's get back to the office, because I'm ready for this day to be over."

* * *

Naomi was rooted to her spot in front of the kitchen sink, cup of cold tea in her hand, as she thought about what Thomas had said to her. She had been been in love with Emily for so long now, that Naomi couldn't actually remember when she wasn't. But should she…no, _could_ she tell Emily how she felt?

It was a huge risk, because what if Emily didn't feel the same? Or worse, what if Naomi told her and it made Emily uncomfortable? What if Emily stopped being her friend?

What if…?

The thoughts wouldn't stop running rampant through Naomi's mind and she felt like crying.

"Jesus, Naomi! Get a fucking grip!" She berated herself, as she dumped her cold tea down the drain and reached over to switch the kettle back on.

"Do you always make it a habit to talk to yourself, love?"

Naomi jumped as Gina's voice startled her and she had to grab the countertop to keep herself upright. "Jesus, Mum!" Naomi placed her hand over her heart, as if trying to sooth it back to its normal pace. "Maybe announce yourself next time, yeah?"

Gina chuckled as she placed her shopping bags on the table. "How did I know you'd be in here, all broody and moony eyed?"

Naomi just scowled at her, unable to drum up the energy to argue. Gina looked over at her, shocked by the silence, but shock turned to concern when she saw the pensive look on her daughter's face.

"What's wrong, love?"

The gentleness in Gina's voice finally broke through Naomi's carefully constructed defense, and she started to cry. Her mum rushed over and wrapped her arms around Naomi, giving her the same comfort that she did when Naomi was a child. It was familiar and welcomed and Gina just let Naomi cry until she was ready to talk.

"What is I tell her how I feel and she stops being my friend?" Naomi finally voiced after the tears stopped. She pulled away from Gina, wiping her face and nose on the sleeve of her jumper.

Gina looked at her in confusion and waited, not wanting to push Naomi.

"If I take the risk, just on the slight chance that she might feel the same? What'll I do if she doesn't, Mum?" Naomi sobbed, falling back against her mum, as new tears appeared.

Gina knew she had to be calm and remember her promise to Emily, a promise that she had felt was unfair all those years ago, even more so now. She'd had a feeling something like this would happen, and now they were all in danger of the fallout. "Wanna tell me what this is all about?" She prodded gently.

Naomi sat up and told her mum about her conversation with Thomas, and how she was afraid of things going back to the way they were before, about Emily going back to London once she was better and how she thought there might be a chance with Emily, but the fear of finding out was almost too much to bear.

"Because being friends with Emily is enough, yeah? It's always been enough before, so _why_ would I want to lose that? What if I'm just imagining things with Emily?" Naomi finally spelled out her fears, and looked to her mum for words of wisdom.

"That's a lot of _what ifs_ , love…," Gina paused to collect her thoughts and find the right words.

"What should I do, Mum?" Naomi asked, wiping her nose again, feeling stupid for acting like this, for letting her emotions get the best of her. "I don't know what to do and it's driving me crazy."

Treading carefully, Gina smiled. "Well, love, it looks like you're afraid to move forward and scared of going backwards." She stated the obvious, as she stood and fixed herself and Naomi a cup of tea. "It's a tough spot to be in, I'm sure…," she placed Naomi's mug in front of her and took a seat across from her daughter. "The thing you have to figure out is, is telling Emily the truth worth the risk? Because I'm sure if you look at all the evidence, you'll find your answer, love."

"What evidence?" Naomi asked, sceptically.

Gina looked pointedly at Naomi, raising an eyebrow in an Effy-like fashion. "I'm sure if you think about it hard enough, you'll understand. Now, I've got a date with a doctor." Gina stated as she stood up and smiled down at Naomi, but then leant over and placed a kiss on top of her head before heading upstairs to get ready. "If you don't take a chance, you'll never know, love."

Naomi heard her mother's words as the floated through the house, and felt more confused than before.

* * *

A couple hours later found Emily sitting at her desk, going over a new layout for another client, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand. But it was becoming increasingly hard to do as thoughts of telling Naomi the truth kept creeping in and throwing everything off.

She had gone over and over in her mind every possible scenario, but none of them ended up with her and Naomi living happily ever after, and her anxiety was through the roof by the time Effy knock lightly on the door and stuck her head in. Emily jumped in her seat and gasped loudly.

"Fucking Christ, Effy!"

Effy fought the urge to laugh at the younger twin as she sat, shaking in her seat, trying to calm her racing heart. "Sorry, Emily. A... are you alright?" She asked, her amusement disappearing completely as she noticed tears in Emily's eyes. "Jesus, Emsy... I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Emily felt embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming, but that topped with her anxiety was just too much to contain, and she felt the hot thick tears as they made tracks down her face. "I'm sorry, Effy. I don't know what's come over me." She said through her tears.

Effy eyed the redhead in speculation, closing the office door behind her before making her way over to Emily. She had an inkling as to what was wrong, and normally she felt it wasn't her place to say anything. But Effy had been watching Emily long enough now to understand the dance the younger twin had been doing and she knew that maybe she needed a little bit of a nudge.

"I know I'm not Naomi, but you can talk to me if you need to." Effy told her gently.

Emily shuffled and wiped her eyes. "It's silly. I don't even really know why I'm crying." She tried to brush it off, not ready to let Naomi's friend in on her secret, not really. It was bad enough that her whole family and Gina knew, there was no way Emily would jeopardise Effy's friendship with Naomi.

"I think you do, Emily." Effy replied as she patted Emily's back in comfort. "I'm sure it's hard to carry a secret like your's for so long."

Emily froze on the spot, her body tensed as she stared open mouthed at Effy. "I do-,"

Effy shook her head, smirking as she sat down on the corner of the desk. "Save it, Emsy." She said, stopping Emily's quick and practiced denial. "You're going to tell me how you don't love Naomi, and that'd be okay, if I was anyone else." She cocked her head, as if daring Emily to keep denying it, but she saw Emily shrink into herself.

"How long?" Emily asked, tiredly. She was so sick of hiding this and it showed.

"Since the first time I met you." Effy told her.

"Is it that obvious?"

Effy heard the break in Emily's voice, knowing that her stress about being found out just hit new levels and felt the need to lessen the sting. "No, I'm just very observant. Have you told anyone?"

"No one knows how I feel about her…," Emily replied after a few minutes of silence, debating with herself about saying the words, "but I've been in love with Naomi for as long as I can remember."

Effy watched closely and listened to the words Emily spoke, not really believing that statement, but she chose to ignore it. "Interesting." She said, assessing the situation. "You say no one knows you're in love with Naomi, but do they know you're…gay?"

Emily lowered her eyes to stare intently at her fingers as they fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. This is where the guilt she felt always kicked her the hardest. "M-my…family? And Cook, of course and…," she trailed off, knowing how bad it sounded.

Effy knew there was more to Emily's confession when her eyes flicked up to hers quickly and then back down, as if the hem of her shirt was the most fascinating thing on Earth. "Who else knows, Emily?" She prodded, not altogether gently.

"What do you want me to say, Effy?" Emily asked exasperatedly, the guilt churning in her stomach was making her sick and Effy's gaze was making her defensive.

"How about the truth, yeah?" Effy replied in her calm manner, refusing to rise to or back down from Emily's discomfort.

"Fucking hell…," Emily sighed loudly, "fine! Some of my classmates know and…Gina."

The last part of Emily's sentence was mumbled and rushed, so the brunette wondered if she had heard correctly. "I'm sorry, but it sounded like you said…Gina? But that couldn't be right, could it? Because that would just be wrong."

Emily brushed away the tears that had started falling fresh. She knew that she didn't deserve to cry them, because whatever happened from here on out was her fault entirely, and playing the victim wouldn't do her any good. But sitting here, pinned under the weight of Effy's glare, Emily couldn't help it.

"Emily, please tell me why everyone _except_ Naomi knows you're gay?" Effy was on the verge of losing her temper with the younger twin, something that rarely ever happened, but she had spent years watching Naomi go through girl after girl, always searching for something that she had only ever found with Emily, thinking that her best friend was straight and hopelessly in love with the younger twin.

"I didn't mean for it to go on this long-," Emily countered weakly, and was cut off by Effy.

" _Why_ did you let it go on at all? Because correct me if I'm wrong, Emily, but weren't _you_ the first one Naomi came out to?" Effy couldn't believe what she was hearing and the anger that had been simmering under her calm exterior, surfaced. She stood up and started pacing, unsure how she was supposed to handle this latest information.

Emily watched as the brunette paced back and forth in front of her, never seeing this from the other woman as long as she'd known her. Effy was angry, that much she could gather, and Emily knew that she had to do whatever it took to make it right.

"I'm sorry."

Smokey blue eyes turned back to the twin and narrowed slightly, as Effy stopped in her tracks. "It's not me you should be saying sorry to, Emily. She's your best friend and you've kept this huge thing from her, don't you know how much this is going to hurt her?" She shook her head, trying to clear the haze, so she could process everything. "Look, I'm sorry for getting so angry, but surely you have to realise what you've done? I don't know your reasons for it, but I'm sure you have them, and maybe at one time, they were valid reasons, but not now. You don't realise or maybe you do realise, how badly this will hurt Naomi? Fuck, don't you understand how bad this will hurt _you_ when the truth finally comes out?"

Emily took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions, because fuck if Effy wasn't right.

"I do have reasons, don't really know if they were valid reasons then, but you're right… they don't mean what they used to mean. I know I've fucked up, Effs, I don't need you to tell me that. I've been sitting here for days…weeks, _years_ even…knowing that I have to fix this and …," Emily's voice broke as she pushed herself away from the desk, reaching down to grab her bag and stood up, "...it's hard because I'm scared to death of Naomi being so hurt and angry, and I'm terrified that she won't forgive me, you see?" She was pleading with Effy to understand. "I've been in love with her for _so_ long, and whilst it wasn't my happily ever after, being her best friend…it was enough." She left Effy standing in the middle of the room, walked to the door and opened it but paused when Effy called out.

"What do you mean it _was_ enough?"

Emily gathered her thoughts and chose her words. "After the accident, with moving back home and being around Naomi almost _all_ the time…and knowing that I might've had a chance, as slim as that may have been if I had only been honest with her from the start…," another pause, followed by another sigh, "now being her best friend just isn't enough, Effs and when I do tell her the truth, because I _will_ tell her, she'll hate me for lying to her, so I'll lose her no matter what I do."

This time Emily couldn't hold in the tears, as the enormity of what she had done hit her. It felt as if someone had punched her in the chest and ripped out her heart. This felt worse than when she had gotten the call about Naomi being in hospital.

Effy's anger deflated as she watched Emily break down in front her, and when the smaller girl released a soul wrenching sob, Effy jumped up, prepared to comfort Emily.

"Don't, okay? I don't deserve your sympathy."

Emily stopped the brunette in her tracks and ran out the door, leaving Effy alone and oddly sad for both of her friends.

* * *

Emily had been walking for a couple hours when her mobile rang. She automatically smiled when she saw Naomi's name on the screen, but then frowned as she remembered her conversation with Effy. It rang again, so with shaking fingers, Emily swiped across the screen and attempted to make her voice neutral.

"What's up, Naoms?"

"Hey, Emmybear, where are you?" Naomi asked, suddenly nervous. "Only Effy stopped by and mentioned she hadn't seen you since you left work. Is everything alright?"

Emily's heart melted at the concern she heard in Naomi's voice. "Uh…yeah, I-I'm fine. I just, you know, needed some time to think."

On the other end of the line, Naomi listened as she chewed on her thumbnail. She had been worried about Emily and she couldn't keep it out of her tone. "Is something wrong? Where are you?"

Emily stopped walking and looked around, because she didn't actually know where she was. "Well, I'm…shit," she was startled to see where she was, "I'm at Castle Park."

"Hmm…okay, well…," Naomi fidgeted with the sleeve of her jumper, knowing that she shouldn't feel this nervous, but also knew she was taking a huge step, "do you wanna go out with me tonight?"

Emily froze at the question, not because of the question. No, her and Naomi went out all the time, so it wasn't the question itself. Emily would swear that Naomi sounded nervous, scared almost and it threw her off track.

"Uh, yeah…sure," Emily almost stuttered, feeling like she was thirteen all over again, "our usual hangout?" She ask, thinking of the small café by their house where they always ate.

"No, no…I've made reservations at that new Thai place in town, if you're up to it?" Naomi explained. "I understand if you don't want to, you probably have plans with Cook or-,"

"No. No other plans." Emily informed her quickly. "That sounds great, do you wanna meet there? I mean, I'm out already."

Naomi giggled, again the sound was foreign to Emily, because it was a nervous giggle. "Ems, you're gonna wanna dress up just a little for this place. Just grab a taxi and we'll meet in the drive, say in about an hour?"

Emily didn't even realise that she was already heading toward the taxi rank, and smiled into the phone. "Alright, it's a date." Emily told her, not knowing the havoc those words caused on Naomi's heart.

Naomi's smile on her end of the line would've lit up the whole city of Bristol, it was that bright. "Yes, ma'am, it's a date."

With that, they hung up as Emily flagged down a taxi and Naomi made her way into the bathroom to get ready.

For better or worse, Naomi thought to herself, she had just taken the first step towards being happy for the rest of her life or being extremely miserable without Emily.

She just really _really_ hoped it was being happy.

* * *

 **A/N: and we're another chapter in...don't worry peeps, this isn't going to be super long and I'm hoping to update again soon. Never going to give up on this or my other story, so if you guys think I'm taking too long, please don't hesitate to call me out, yeah :-)**

 **love you all,**

 **Marci**


	8. Chapter 8: First Time With You

**A/N: Okay my peeps. You know the drill...sorry about the delay...didn't mean to take so long...**

 **We all know I'm sorry, yeah... so here is a long chapter to hopefully make up for it.**

 **Major shout out to TheAeacusProject. Solid writer writing solid stories...you should definitely check them out and give some loving.**

 **And here it is, major mswitsend appreciation time! We need to give her a lot of love and affection. She's been away from us for far too long because of a hurricane, and I went batshit insane without my bff partner in crime! Thankfully, we've been able to text the last couple weeks or so, so...go back and read Stonem House and start reading Walls and send her some loving as well.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: First Time With You**

"Are you sure about this?" Naomi's voice was whispered, breaking the silence that had previously blanketed them, as she broke their kiss.

Emily shivered as Naomi's breath fluttered along her neck, driving her crazy with lust. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life." She whispered back and meant it.

Emily pulled away, so she could see Naomi's face in the moonlight, as it cast its silvery glow across the forest floor through the trees. The smile on her face was almost magical, caught somewhere between angelic and maniacal, and the glow of Naomi's eyes…Emily had never seen anything like it.

Naomi surged forward and wrapped her arms around the younger girl, unsure of what was really happening, but knowing that she needed to be inside of her as soon as possible. "Well, if you're really sure…," she trailed off as Emily claimed her lips with her own and Naomi allowed her tongue to search for Emily's and gently laid her down on the blanket that Emily had spread out earlier.

Their thoughts were similar yet different as they both wondered how they had gotten to this point. Although, to be fair, at that precise moment as Naomi slid her hand down the front of Emily's jeans and into her knickers, navigating her way between her thighs and felt how wet the younger girl was as her fingers stroked lightly against Emily's centre, neither of them were thinking very much of the logistics of their situation.

"Fuck, Naoms…," Emily moaned in the husky voice that had dropped at least two octaves with desire.

"That's the plan, Ems." Naomi smirked down at her, taking the opportunity to explore. She had dreamt of this for so long, and finally having this…to have Emily writhing underneath her at this moment was almost too much for Naomi to take and she tried to slip two fingers into the wet heat, but she stopped as Emily tensed up and winced, as if in pain.

Emily knew it was inevitable, knew she couldn't hide this from Naomi. She had known that her friend would find out when things started changing between them a few months earlier. But right now, with Naomi's face in shadows as she looked down on Emily, the twin couldn't tell what Naomi was thinking as her fingers, the ones that had been creating delicious spasms throughout her body, froze suddenly.

"Naoms?" Emily whispered her name, on the verge of tears, because she expected Naomi to pull away from her, and was preparing for the rejection already. "Please…say something?"

Naomi was shocked to the very core and she knew she had to say something to put Emily at ease, but the tightness around her fingers and the way Emily reacted, was almost a clear indication. "You're…a-a…fuck," Naomi moaned with desire at thought of what she may have discovered, "are you a…a virgin?"

Emily's eyes closed as embarrassment flooded her body and all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and possibly die. Of course, she was a virgin, wasn't she? She had always known that she only wanted to give herself to Naomi and that had been something she had never compromised on. But Emily couldn't very well tell Naomi that, could she? Not without telling her he whole truth and fuck, call her selfish, but Emily didn't want to give up what they had started. Not now. Not when Emily was really getting everything she had ever wanted.

"I've never wanted to before…," Emily didn't know how to explain, so she just stopped talking.

Naomi felt a punch in her belly as Emily's words registered, causing the heat she felt in her cunt to spiral out of control. Emily was a virgin. That fact was flashing in Naomi's mind, in massive neon letters, and it made her nervous as well as horny as fuck.

It's not as if she hadn't ever been with a virgin before, there had been a couple back at Uni. Innocent girls, fresh out of college and away from home for the first time, all too willing to succumb to Naomi's talents, but this wasn't just anyone.

This was Emily.

This was Naomi's best friend in the universe.

This was the only girl that Naomi had ever been in love with, she knew that now.

This was her Emmybear and suddenly this didn't feel as special as it had a few minutes ago. And Emily deserved for her first time to be special.

She suddenly felt guilty, and pulled her hand out of Emily's jeans, barely resisting the urge to taste Emily's arousal from her fingers as she started to pull away, until Emily tightened her hold on.

"Don't, please?" The younger girl pleaded, opening her eyes to look at her best friend.

Naomi stopped and looked deeply into Emily's eyes. "This isn't right, Ems." She said quietly and then felt like a tit when she saw the tears spill from Emily's. "Babes, please…I didn't mean that how it soun-,"

"You don't want me now." Emily stated as she tried to roll out from underneath Naomi as quickly as possible, but the blonde was just as quick to keep her there.

"Are you kidding me?" Naomi asked incredulously. "My god, Emily, don't you know how fucking sexy you are? Of course, I want you.

Emily looked up at her sceptically, unsure if Naomi was just saying that or if she really meant it. "You do?"

Naomi shook her head in disbelief because Emily sounded surprised. "Jesus, Emily…if you only knew how badly I want you," she paused to control her breathing, running her fingers through her hair nervously, "if I had known…," Naomi knew she wouldn't be able to word herself properly and that there was a real danger of cocking this up, but she knew Emily needed reassurance from her. "You and Cook…never?"

At the question, Emily bristled and again tried to break free.

"I'm just asking, Ems, okay?" Naomi said quickly, soothing the younger girl. "You've been together a really long time, I just figured…,"

"Well, you figured wrong, Naomi." Emily replied. "Look, it's not a big deal, alright? I've just…never felt comfortable with it before, that's all."

"And now you are?"

"I _thought_ so," Emily said with a shrug, starting to get angry, "but not so much now. Would you please let me up?"

Naomi considered keeping Emily pinned down, but she caught a glint of steel in her eyes and thought better of it. She rolled onto her said, allowing for Emily's freedom, although Naomi didn't want to lose contact with her, so she gripped her hand.

"Ems, listen. I'm not saying I don't want you, because I do." Naomi said softly, making sure that she had Emily's attention, as she interlocked their fingers together, "I want you so much, that I'm about to take you right here and now, but babe…," Naomi wouldn't continue if Emily refused to look at her, so she waited until those brown eyes locked with her blue ones, "do you _really_ want your first time to be in the middle of the woods, on the forest floor, with nothing but this blanket to protect our bodies? You don't deserve that, you deserve a soft feather bed, with candles all around and rose petals everywhere. Not here, not like some dirty shag."

Emily scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It was good enough ten minutes ago." She was pouting now, she knew she was, but Emily really couldn't help it. The disappointment she felt was so keen, felt so physically, that it felt like someone was cutting out her heart. "Why is it different now?"

Naomi sighed loudly and begged any deity listening for the strength to explain. She sat up, and stared across the clearing, at the way the moon cast its glow on the pond. "Do you remember when we went out to that Thai restaurant?"

"Yeah." Emily sat up as well watching Naomi's face, waiting for something, but not knowing what exactly.

"I'd waited for a date like that my whole life, it seems like." Naomi said, still awestruck at how beautiful Emily had looked that night, her mind taking her back to every moment they had spent together. "That night lead us here, ya know?"

Emily shuffled around so that she was looking at Naomi full on now. "But what are we gonna do about it, now that we _are_ here?" Emily asked, thinking back over the last few months herself, smiling at the memories they had made.

She turned to look out across the pond as well, scooting closer to Naomi, and they both became lost in their own thoughts of the past few months.

* * *

 _ **Four months earlier**_

" _So, how did therapy go today?"_

 _Emily was getting so good at pushing the guilt away whenever she was with Naomi, and as they sat at a candlelit table for two, in a cosy corner of the restaurant, it was easy to do. It was so fucking easy for Emily to pretend that the two of them were on a real date._

 _When she had arrived home, she quickly rushed into the house and changed, wanting to make herself as gorgeous as she could. Once she deemed herself fit, Emily made her way down and out to the drive, where Naomi was waiting._

" _Blimey, Emmybear!" Naomi was blown away, as Emily smiled shyly. She had always thought Emily was the most beautiful girl she had ever known but seeing her tonight, after deciding to let down her guard, was almost too much for her. "You look gorgeous."_

 _Emily's face turned an adorable shade of pink, as she scuffed the toe of her shoe along the pavement. "You look pretty good yourself." She finally said after a few minutes of trying to get a grip. "So…what's the special occasion?"_

 _Now it was Naomi's turn to blush. "It just feels like a few days since we've talked, you know with your schoolwork and_ work _work and me with the therapy…I just wanted a chance to catch up." She shrugged as she explained, hoping that she didn't sound stupid._

 _While they stood in the drive, practically eye fucking each other, the taxi that Naomi had hired pulled in and honked. Both girls jumped and then giggled._

" _Shall we?" Naomi gestured toward the car with her head._

" _Let's." Emily smiled and walked next to Naomi as she crutched her way slowly down the drive toward the waiting taxi._

 _Emily asked the question after their waiter brought their drinks. They had been sitting for about five minutes, sneaking glances at one another, blushing when they'd get caught._

" _It was good. I may have pushed myself too hard, but Thomas knows when to pull me back." Naomi told her with a sheepish smile. "He says hello, by the way."_

" _Aww, that's sweet." Emily smiled. "I wish I had been there instead of at the meeting with Susan."_

 _Naomi saw the slight grimace and suddenly went on alert. "What did she do?"_

 _Emily shrugged as she picked up her wine, taking a sip. "The usual. Pestered me about going out with her. I think Effy said something to her though, so you shouldn't worry about it, Naoms."_

" _But I do worry about her, Ems. I know what she's like and I worry." Naomi told her quietly, fighting the image of Emily and Susan together. "I'll have a word with her." She stated, unable to keep the contempt for Susan out of her voice._

" _Don't, Naoms. I'm pretty sure Effy took care of it, okay?" Emily pleaded, about to say something else but was interrupted._

" _Are you two ready to order now?"_

 _The waiter smiled at them and they both picked up their menus, spending a few minutes perusing. After they ordered, the conversation turned back to Naomi's therapy and Emily's schooling. They kept it light and simple, Emily not wanting to delve into her guilt so much and Naomi tried to keep from blurting out how she felt._

 _They had discussed what the plans were for the upcoming Christmas holidays, remembering that they were coming up soon. They talked about everything except what was really on their minds and that was okay. It was a good night and Naomi made sure that Emily was enjoying herself, because her plan was to keep taking her out. She wanted to show Emily how good they could be together and maybe see if there was a chance for them._

 _At the end of the evening, the two of them stood in between their houses and smiled at each other, not even caring about the cold and the threat of snow._

" _I had a really enjoyable time, Naoms." Emily said, leaning forward and standing on her tiptoes to place a gently kiss on Naomi's cheek. "Thanks for this."_

 _Naomi wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and pulled her closer. "Anytime, Emmybear, anytime at all. Good night."_

" _Night." Emily turned and went inside out of the cold, stopping to send a small wave to her best friend._

 _Naomi watched as Emily slipped inside before turning to head into her own house. She was just about to shut the door when she heard her named whispered across the drive._

 _Emily's head poked out the back door, smiling when Naomi peeked back out. "Wanna do it again?" Emily asked quietly, but knew the other girl had heard by the smile on her face. "Tomorrow night?"_

 _Naomi cocked her head and looked to be thinking about the proposition. "Sure, why not? It's not like I've got anything pressing going on." Naomi smirked, trying her best to keep the excitement out of her voice. She had been expecting to wait a day or two and then ask Emily out again, but she was pleased with this as well. "How about after your classes?"_

" _Sweet." Emily agreed and shut the door. She floated up the stairs, so excited and happy about the way the night had gone._

 _Little did she know that Naomi felt the same way._

* * *

 _Emily brushed the snow off herself as she and Naomi stepped inside the abandoned building, smiling when she heard a squeal of delight._

" _I can't believe you remembered this, Ems!" Naomi excitedly looked around the old train station Emily had brought her to, carefully so as not to trip over her crutches._

 _Emily rolled her eyes behind her friend's back. "How could I forget, Naoms? You kept banging on about it for so long when we were younger, so I figured you'd like to see inside before they tear it down."_

 _Naomi was touched that Emily would think of that, of her wanting to see the ancient building and its grand architecture before the city destroyed it. Her and Emily used to walk past here when they were little, never able to enter because they were just kids and it was dangerous, but now they were adults and Naomi felt a sense of giddiness as she stood in the lobby and stared all around her. "How the fuck did you arrange this, Ems?"_

 _Emily hefted the rucksack she carried higher onto her shoulder and shrugged. "Remember my one professor? He teaches classical design?" Naomi nodded, so Emily kept explaining. "His brother is the head of the cleanup crew. We got to talking about this place in class one day and I was telling him how you loved it and had always wanted to see inside. Next thing I know, I'm meeting his brother and he's handing me a set of keys to the place."_

 _Naomi finally stopped staring at the ceiling and stared at her best friend. She couldn't help the tingle as Emily blushed under her gaze. "Thank you, babes.'_

" _C'mon. I've got food and alcohol, yeah?" Emily shrugged her shoulder again to indicate their dinner, and they both walked through the lobby until they came to a bench._

 _It had been almost two months since that first date, even though neither of them had classified it as such, both comfortable in the bubble that they were creating for themselves. They both found it relatively easy to find excuses to go out and it had been suiting them both just fine._

 _Their conversations had become flirtier and whilst Naomi was no stranger to throwing a compliment or a hundred at Emily, she was pleasantly surprised when the redhead started flirting back. Naomi could feel that she was starting to get somewhere with Emily and that made her the happiest girl in the world._

" _So, I hear that you're going to Ireland for the holidays." Emily said as she started pulling the contents of her bag out and setting them between her and Naomi._

 _Naomi scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No, Gina is going to Ireland, I'm staying home." She stated determinedly, picking up a sandwich, not even looking to see what was on it and took a bite. "I'm tired of everyone else having to put their lives on hold for me."_

 _Emily frowned at the thought of Naomi not being with Gina at the holidays, but didn't say anything, as a plan started forming in her mind. She let it go for now and opted to enjoy their date._

 _After they ate, Naomi wanted to explore a bit, so they slowly walked around the train station and Emily took photos of her friend, smiling with each new discovery. Emily knew that the little voice inside her head, the one telling her to woman up and tell Naomi the truth, wouldn't stay quiet forever, but at that moment, she became deaf to it as Naomi's laugh echoed throughout the station._

 _It hadn't escaped her notice when Naomi's touches seemed to linger just a little bit longer than they used to or that gazes stayed locked with each other for minutes at a time, as if they were committing every detail to memory._

 _Emily had been slowly letting her guard down around Naomi, allowing those touches and looks, not ashamed that she was flirting back when Naomi would say something. She didn't know how this was going to end up or what would happen when the truth finally came out, but it didn't stop her from enjoying the journey._

* * *

" _C'mon, Naoms!" Emily shouted through the bedroom door, whilst pounding on it. "If you don't hurry up, we'll be late! And the taxi has just arrived!"_

" _Keep your vagina on, Emmybear!"_

 _Emily rolled her eyes at Naomi's response from the other side of the door. She had been waiting for a half hour and she was itching to go._

 _What started out as a dinner between two friends had turned into dinner and a movie, then morphed into trips to museums and dinner or a picnic and bike rides. Anything that they thought the other would enjoy had been explored._

 _Christmas and New Year's came and went, and normally Naomi would spend the time with her mum whilst the Fitches headed to Scotland or Liverpool, this time was different because Gina had been invited to go to Ireland with the good Doctor Kieran._

 _Naomi didn't have the heart to guilt her mum into staying home with her, opting to let Gina enjoy herself. It wasn't every day you watched your mum fall in love with someone who treated her right._

 _Naomi had still been in the brace then, but she was able to take care of herself, which she told Emily, when the younger twin argued about staying home with her. It had turned into a massive row between them, Naomi accusing Emily of thinking she couldn't take care of herself, her stubborn independent streak rearing its ugly head and Emily fighting the urge to shout out that she loved her and didn't want to be without her._

 _Jenna had put an end to that, after a couple days of them not talking to each other because it was driving the rest of them mad, with the plan that Naomi would go with them._

" _I know you can look after yourself, love," Jenna was quick to say, "I just hate the thought of you being alone at Christmas and my mother was recently asking after you. So, you see? Kills two birds with one stone, Nai."_

 _Naomi accepted the invitation and sheepishly apologised to Emily and had a fabulous time in Scotland. But now three months and almost sixty dates later, not that Emily was counting or anything, they were going to go clubbing to celebrate._

 _Naomi was finally brace-free and done with therapy, given the all clear from Thomas and Kieran. It had been a hard road, and she had been tempted to give up on several occasions, but she had made it with everyone's help, Emily's more so and she felt like dancing._

 _Dancing with her favourite person in the entire world. Hopefully dancing close to her favourite person in the entire world. And it didn't matter that they were meeting up with Effy, Katie and Cook._

 _Naomi checked her look one last time and was satisfied. She grabbed her mobile and wallet and left. She knew Emily wanted to leave thirty minutes earlier, but she wanted to make sure she looked alright. More than alright, if she was being honest with herself. She wanted to make sure that Emily's attention would be focused on her and not on Cook._

 _She had chosen a pair of black skinny jeans, along with a blue button-up shirt, to help make her eyes stand out and she left her hair down to curl naturally. Naomi knew at some point in the evening, she'd be itching to tie it back, but she knew for a fact that Emily loved it loose, so down it stayed._

" _For_ fucks _sake, Nao-,"_

 _Naomi had opened the door just as Emily was about to knock again, effectively stopping the redhead's rant._

" _Fuck me!" Emily muttered under her breath, as she felt a blush work its way up her neck. "Christ, Nai…," Emily had no words to describe the vision in front of her. She was utterly speechless, and Naomi knew it._

" _See something you like, Ems?" Naomi sauntered past her friend and smiled at her mum, telling her they'd be home late._

 _Emily didn't budge until Naomi got to the door and turned back toward her. "Are you coming or what?" Emily shut her mouth with an audible click and silently followed Naomi out the door and into the waiting taxi._

' _It's going to be a good night.' Naomi thought to herself with a smile as Emily slid into the car and sat as close as she could without actually sitting in the blonde's lap._

* * *

" _Jesus…_ fuck _, Emily! You've gotta stop doing that." Naomi growled out, slightly pushing the redhead away from her._

 _The younger twin was pleasantly wasted and not really in control of herself, so Naomi didn't put too much heart into her dirty dancing. But it didn't stop the heat from pooling between her thighs as Emily began to grind her ass against her._

 _Clubbing had become their thing on the weekends, whether the rest of the gang came with them or not. Thankfully, tonight they were alone, and Naomi didn't have to worry about looking over her shoulder for Cook._

" _Aww, what's the matter, Naoms? Am I getting you all nice and wet?" Emily smirked adorably up at her once she had spun herself around, wrapping her arms around Naomi's waist. The look on Naomi's face made Emily laugh out loud._

 _It was a mix of serious lust and pain, Naomi knew it was because that's what she was feeling right at the moment. "Did Cook give you MDMA?" She asked and had her answer confirmed when Emily laughed again. "I knew it! I need a drink. Do you want one?" She shouted over the thump of the bass. Emily nodded, and Naomi made her way to the bar._

" _Can I get a vodka and lemonade and a rum and coke?" She said as the girl behind the bar asked for her order._

 _Naomi gave her a tenner and turned to head back to Emily. Half way across the club Naomi saw a girl slid up behind Emily, as the younger girl stood dancing with her arms up and her eyes closed. The sight of it made Naomi's stomach churned as dark arms wrapped themselves around her redhead and her grip on the glasses in her hand threatened to do damage if she didn't relax._

Mandy!

 _Naomi watched in horror when it looked like Emily was receptive of her classmate's advances, but then smiled as Emily tensed visibly and turned around, shoving the other girl away. She knew she had to hurry over before Emily channelled Katie, as it looked like a very real possibility._

" _What the_ actual _fuck, Mandy?" Emily shouted at the girl, as Naomi finally reached them. "When did I ever say that_ you _could touch me?"_

" _Jesus, calm down, Emsy! You told me you'd be here tonight." Mandy stated loudly, folding her arms across her chest. "I figured you were expecting me."_

 _Emily was about to lunge forward, but Naomi quickly passed her drinks to some random and reached out, grabbing Emily by the waist and pulling her back until Emily's back was pressed against Naomi's front. "Whoa there, Killer." Naomi said into Emily's ear._

 _Emily visibly relaxed in Naomi's arms, causing Mandy to narrow her gaze at the pair. After a few minutes of deep breathing, Emily finally looked back at the taller girl. "Mandy, I don't mean to sound like a bitch," Emily heard Naomi's snicker, followed by "_ Oh, yes you do. _" whispered in her ear, but kept a straight face as she continued to address Mandy, "but I seriously need you to fuck off right now, yeah? It's not cute or adorable the way you seem to follow me around. It's bordering on stalkerish, if you ask me and I'm getting a little tired of it."_

 _Mandy looked heartbroken for about a minute, then she just looked angry. "You're nothing but a cunt tease, Emily!" She managed to shout after she gained the ability to speak again. "You're fucking mental, you know that?"_

 _Naomi was the one who lost her temper at Mandy's words and didn't feel guilty at all for what she did next. "I think it's time you leave_ my _girlfriend alone." She spat out, loud enough to draw the curious looks from the other clubbers, bringing her arms tighter around Emily's waist. To everyone else, and especially Mandy, it looked just as Naomi had hoped it would. Like she was guarding her property. Only Naomi and Emily knew the truth of their relationship, no matter how they both wished it different._

 _Emily brought her hands up, her fingers tracing delicate patterns along Naomi's arms, sending shivers down the blonde's body. She knew it was all for show, for the benefit of Mandy, but Emily enjoyed the feeling of Naomi's arms around her._

 _Mandy's eyes widened, disbelief evidently her face. "Are you kidding me? You're fucking_ her _?" The dark headed girl scoffed as she gestured toward Naomi._

 _Emily's hackles raised at the contempt she heard in Mandy's voice and that, on top of the MDMA that was still coursing through her system, made her do something reckless. She raised her arm up and with a smirk, wrapped her fingers around the back of Naomi's neck, pulling the blonde down whilst she glared at Mandy_ _. "Every chance I get_ _." She said just before she captured Naomi's lips with her own, setting off a series of emotions in both girls_ _, that neither of them wanted to stop_ _._

 _Emily turned her body in Naomi's arms, so that they were standing front to front and relished the feel of Naomi's lips as the blonde deepened the kiss. Neither of them saw Mandy leave, at that point neither of them cared._

 _Naomi was lost in the sensations that Emily was making her feel. As soon as the redhead's lips touched hers, she knew she should've pulled away, but fuck if she could remember why now. Not when Emily's lips started to kiss their way down her neck and nibble and lick and made Naomi feel things she had never felt before._

 _It wasn't until Naomi pulled out of the kiss and had grabbed Emily's hand, intending to drag her to the closet loo cubicle, that the older girl came to her senses. "Emily…," Naomi was breathless after their shared kisses, but she knew she had to do the right thing here when Emily started pouting, "we can't…I don't want to take advantage of you, babes."_

" _Maybe I want to be taken advantage of, yeah?" Emily stated with a cheeky smirk, attempting to recapture Naomi's lips._

" _I hate to say this, but I think it's time to leave." Naomi said firmly, allowing for Emily to whine out her no, before wrapping her arm around Emily's waist again and leading her out of the club into the night._

 _After the taxi dropped them off, Naomi led Emily to her door. "What was that back there, Ems?" Naomi asked quietly, talking about the kiss in the club. She had tried to bring it up a few times on the ride home, but Emily kept nodding off._

" _I was…," Emily went quiet, trying to put her thoughts together so that she didn't just randomly shout out her true feelings, "I just wanted Mandy to go away_ _, yeah? It's no big deal, Naoms."_

 _Naomi laughed out loud at those words because Emily couldn't have been more wrong. It was a huge deal and Naomi felt her insides turn to mush whenever she thought about it. "That was…a little bit more than no big deal, Emmybear."_

 _She knew that Naomi was dying to bring up the kiss, knew she would want to talk about it, and it's not that Emily didn't want to, it's just she didn't know how to explain the kiss without telling Naomi the truth. Which was getting easier with each date. It was extremely easy to forget about her secret when Emily was dancing with Naomi, or sitting next to Naomi, or even breathing next to Naomi._

" _Ems?" Naomi prodded gently, breaking Emily out of her thoughts._

 _The redhead shrugged, shaking her head as if it that would make things easier. "It was the MDMA, yeah? I felt like kissing someone, okay? And Mandy…well, she's been bothering me for weeks, so…I figured…it didn't mean anything, right? It was just the drugs, I think, so…," Emily trailed off, knowing that the words coming out of her mouth were absolute lies._

 _Naomi listened to Emily explain and felt a sense of disappointment. She had wanted Emily to want the kiss to mean more and she didn't want to push the issue, but now that it seemed Emily was somewhat sober, Naomi had to know for sure._

 _She leant in and ducked her head a bit, looking Emily right in the eye, making sure she had her attention before speaking. "That's a shame, because I've been wanting to kiss you for weeks." Naomi whispered before closing the gap and claiming Emily's lips with her own._

 _Emily instinctively gasped, the sensation of Naomi's lips moving against hers was too much and she had to wrap her arms_ _around Naomi to keep herself upright. After a few minutes of intense snogging, Emily pulled away and breathlessly asked the question that had been racing through her mind._

" _What are we doing here, Naoms?"_

 _Naomi chuckled. "If I have to explain that, Ems, we're in big trouble."_

 _Emily rolled her eyes and smacked her best friend lightly, as she continued to giggle. "I'm serious, Naomi." She tried to sound firm, but Naomi's laughter was contagious, and Emily finally broke down and joined her, until the enormity of the situation started to set in._

 _Naomi couldn't help smoothing out the frown lines that were starting to form on Emily's forehead and tucked a lock of hair behind the younger girl's ear. "It is what it is, Ems. It's a spark or it's not, but don't you think we should find out?"_

 _Emily didn't respond right away, choosing to think over what Naomi had just said. This was it. Naomi was standing in front of her and offering her all her hopes and dreams, the chance to find out if there was more than friendship between them. Everything Emily had ever wanted was within reach, but it wasn't that simple, was it? Not with her secret still there, hanging over her. Hanging over them, like a time bomb that could go off at any second._

 _Naomi watched as Emily's face cycled through her emotions. Her heart was racing as she waited for Emily's response, because her future depended on her. How they moved on from here hinged on Emily's reply._

" _I don't know_ _, Naoms…," Emily knew she was standing on the edge of making every dream she'd ever had come true, but she was afraid of grasping it, afraid of taking that step, because if she cocked it up, she would lose her best friend._

" _Just think about Ems, please? This could be something special and I know you can feel it too." Naomi pleaded passionately, before cupping Emily's cheeks and slowly kissed her again. She felt a surge of happiness rush through her as Emily moaned before deepening the kiss and when she pulled away, Emily had a lazy smile on her face. "See, Emmybear? You can't tell me that you don't feel something when we kiss, so…yeah. Just…think about it." Naomi stepped away, leaving Emily standing at her backdoor and walked to her own. "Night, Ems."_

 _Emily stood there trying to get her body under control, the amount of desire was almost too much to handle, and watched as Naomi slipped into her house. "Night, Naoms." She whispered into the dark._

* * *

" _I should really get inside."_

 _Naomi heard the words, even though Emily whispered them, but she couldn't tear herself away from that one sensitive spot on Emily's neck. She smiled against the younger girl when Emily moaned as Naomi licked that very spot after sucking on it._

" _Naoms…," the rest of Emily's words were lost as Naomi made her way back up to her lips, fusing their mouths together, tracing Emily's lips with her tongue asking for entry, which was granted immediately._

 _It had been almost two weeks since the club incident and Naomi was making it her life's work to show Emily everything she could expect from a relationship with her._

 _And that's what Naomi wanted. A relationship with Emily. She wanted everything with Emily. The lifetime, the house, the mornings spent lazily making love, for fucks sake, she even wanted kids with Emily. She wanted the whole thing. Naomi did want any halves when it came to her and Emily._

 _Both were lost to their desire as Naomi continued to kiss Emily senseless and Emily ran her hands over Naomi's body, searching for bare skin, finding it along Naomi's waist where her jeans sat on her hips and her shirt rode up a little bit._

 _Naomi moaned as Emily's finger traced her skin under the waistband of her jeans, sending spasms of lust running along every nerve ending she had in her body until that desire coalesced into a ball of heat that started in her stomach and shot down between her thighs. "Fuckin' hell, Emmybear…," Naomi gasped against Emily's mouth, unable to do anything more than feel the pleasure of Emily's fingers on her skin._

 _Emily was about to respond when a voice broke the quiet of the night, sounding extremely loud as it echoed off both of their houses._

" _Slip it to her, Emsy!" James Fitch shouted out in glee. He had snuck out earlier in the evening to hang with his mate, Gordon, and was getting ready to sneak inside when he came across the two girls making out. For a good ten minutes or so, Jamie stayed silent as he watched his sister and her best friend going at it by the backdoor, but as Emily's hand started inching lower, James couldn't contain himself any longer._

 _It was like having a bucket of ice dumped on them, Jamie's voice was, and both girls jumped back from each other, to glare at the younger Fitch._

" _What the fuck, don't stop!" Jamie whined loudly, making Emily grimace in embarrassment. "It was just getting good."_

" _What the fuck!" Emily's heart was beating fast and not just because of Naomi. "What are you doing here, you little worm?"_

 _Jamie grinned at them as his eyes glazed over in memory. "Enjoying the show." He replied cheekily._

 _Naomi chuckled, even if she was a bit embarrassed._

 _Emily cringed at the thought of her brother watching her groping Naomi. "You're sick, do you know that? No wonder you haven't got a girlfriend yet!"_

 _Jamie stood up straight and grinned. "I've got a natural curiosity for a boy my age. It's healthy."_

" _Healthy my arse. You're just a pervert." Emily said with disgust. She knew it was just the embarrassment of being caught that was making her lash out, but she was afraid Jamie would spill her secret in front of Naomi if he stayed outside too much longer. "You'd better keep quiet about this, James or I'm gonna let it accidentally slip that you were out past your curfew. Get inside, you weirdo." Emily warned him, missing the look of disappointment that passed over Naomi's face._

 _He stood still, refusing to budge and mumbled under his breath, until Emily glared at him in such a way that Jamie finally went inside._

 _Emily waited until James shut the door, leaving them alone once more before turning to look at Naomi. "What a freak. Can you believe he was watching us? Just…ugh!"_

" _So, you're ashamed to be seen with me like that?" Naomi asked, her voice breaking up._

" _What? No…it's just…," Emily was confused about the tone in Naomi's voice, never having heard that particular tone before._

 _Naomi forced herself to meet Emily's eyes. "It's just what? Are you just…I don't know, experimenting?" She asked, pulling away from the younger girl. "Is that what this has been for you? An experiment? Because if it is, Ems, we could've done that years ago, yeah?" Naomi tried to make light of the moment, but she could hear the bitterness in laugh._

" _Don't joke, Naoms." Emily scuffed her foot along the pavement._

 _Naomi stopped her humorless laugh and looked at Emily. "Joke? You think I'm being funny?" She paused and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to control her temper. "I asked you to think about us, give it some real fucking thought, but…that's too much for you, isn't it? You can't stand the thought of anyone seeing my hands all over you."_

" _I'm confused." Emily wasn't really grasping why Naomi was upset and wondered how they went from sexually fueled lust to this in a span of mere minutes._

 _Naomi scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I guess that's an understatement, yeah? I'll see you later, Emily." She was intending to go before she said something she'd regret, but Emily stopped her._

" _Naoms, wait?" Emily stayed rooted in her spot, afraid of spooking Naomi. She ran her hands through her hair as if trying to scrub away the tension between them. "Why would you think I'm ashamed? You know as well as I do that Jamie's got a big mouth and he twists the truth around. And I_ have _been thinking about it, about us, but it's not that easy."_

 _Naomi listened to as Emily spoke, afraid to get her hopes up, but she couldn't help it. They were raising all on their own, no matter what she told herself. "It could be easy with us, Ems." She said quietly, unconsciously stepping back toward Emily._

" _But what if it's not? What if we try and I hurt you?" Emily asked, thinking about the moment she'll finally have to reveal the truth._

 _Naomi shook her head. "You could never hurt me, Ems." Naomi knew that she would have to tell Emily the truth at some point, the truth about how she had been in love with Emily for years, but that didn't seem to matter at this point. Not when she was on the verge of getting what she wanted._

" _But what if I did?" Emily asked._

" _But what if you don't?" Naomi countered._

 _Emily watched as Naomi walked back to her, and stared into those eyes that she loved so much. "It's a lot to think about, Naoms. If I do what you're asking, and it goes tits up, I don't think I'll be able to handle losing you. It's a huge risk we'd be taking, don't you think?"_

 _Naomi stepped even closer to the redhead, a glint in her eye. "Do you like it when I do this?" She leant down and chastely kissed Emily._

" _Yes."_

 _Naomi smiled and cocked her head. "And what about when I do this," she moved to nuzzle Emily's neck, then nibbled on her pulse point, knowing that that was her sensitive spot, "do you like it when I do this?"_

 _Emily was starting to see stars. "Mmm_ _…yes." She moaned._

 _Naomi's smile grew as she finally reached out to touch Emily with her hands, running them up her arms, until she reached Emily's shoulders. "What do you feel when I do this?" She asked, as she started tracing her finger along Emily's collarbone, feeling her shiver at the touch. "This is what it could be like, babe. I won't hurt you and you won't hurt me. I think it's impossible for us to hurt each other."_

 _Emily reached up and kissed Naomi again, keeping it light. "I still need time to think, Naoms. Can you give me that? You're asking me to risk the most important thing in my life, our friendship." She said when they pulled away from each other._

 _Naomi gave it some thought. It was a simple request. Time. Easy enough to do after waiting for years to be in this position. "I can give you time to think, Emmybear." She told her, giving Emily one last chaste kiss. "Let's get inside, yeah? I've got work in the morning."_

 _Emily breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it was only a short reprieve, but she would take what she could get at this point. "Night, Naoms."_

" _G'night, Ems." Naomi smiled as she watched Emily enter the house and shut the door, before making her way across the drive to her own backdoor._

 _It wasn't a perfect ending, but it was another step toward her ultimate goal and she was okay with that. Naomi had thought about the risk they would be taking if they moved forward into a relationship, but she simply refused to believe that it would be anything other than wonderful._

* * *

 _Emily was still thinking about it a few days later._

 _It was all she thought about, so much so, that she couldn't concentrate on anything else. Not school and definitely not work. Not when Naomi was there, back to work full time now that she was capable. There was just too much to think about and she needed time to do that, so Emily made her excuses and headed to a spot that was quiet enough to do what she needed._

 _Where she ended up was Abbots Pool, a quiet place, where her and Naomi would spend plenty of summer days to escape the heat or their families. It was no big deal for them spend their weekends curled up on a blanket after swimming, talking about everything in their lives at that point when they were younger. But today she needed a break from Naomi and life, so she could really think._

 _She had come out the night before, making sure to bring enough blankets and supplies to last the weekend. Normally, if she had a Naomi-related problem she would talk to Cook, but he had been extremely busy lately, so_ _she was on her own._

 _Emily took a drink from the bottle of vodka next to her, as she stoked the small fire she had built. She started to feel a bit bad about leaving, because she didn't really tell anyone where she was going, but her mum seemed somewhat understanding when she told her that she needed some space to clear her head. She didn't even say a word to Naomi, just left after work._

" _I'm a total bitch." She said to herself quietly, as she stared into the small fire in front of her._

" _I wouldn't say a_ total _bitch." Naomi's voice came from behind her and Emily's scream echoed through woods, causing Naomi to laugh._

" _What the fuck, Naomi!"_

 _Naomi dropped down next to Emily, laughing the whole time. "The look on your face is priceless, Emmybear." She said between gasps of breath, her laughter getting the best of her._

 _Emily rolled her eyes and growled at her best friend. "Fuck you, you twat!" Her heart was still racing from the scare. "What the fuck are you even doing here?"_

 _Naomi dried the tears that had formed from laughing too hard and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "You left without saying a word, obviously I got worried, yeah?" She managed to say lightly, trying to hide the fear that she felt._

 _When Naomi got home from work the night before, she had tried calling Emily to see if she wanted to go out. When the call went straight to voicemail, she walked next door and into the Fitches house, asking Jenna if Emily was home. She was heartbroken to learn that Emily had taken off._

" _You wanted me to think, so that's what I'm trying to do." Emily replied, turning her attention back to the fire, as Naomi picked up the bottle of vodka and took a drink, looking out across the water._

" _Is this about Jamie catching us the other night?"_

 _Emily sighed, she knew how it would seem to Naomi after she had thought about it that night. "Naomi, if things were different…," she trailed off, not wanting to rehash the other night._

" _But that's the thing, Ems…," Naomi stated emphatically, turning to look at the younger girl, "the whole point of this is to change things, make them different."_

 _Emily shook her head. "Why now? After all these years, why now is this even a thing?"_

 _Naomi shrugged, not wanting to show her vulnerability, especially to Emily. "Maybe I've given it some thought in the past couple months," Naomi stated, even though the voice in her head scoffed and screamed_ 'let's try the last few years or so!' _but she ignored it and went on, "we've been spending even more time with each other and I don't know…maybe I've just seen you in a completely different way lately."_

" _Yeah? And what way would that be?" Emily asked shyly, feeling her insides churn nervously._

 _Naomi took another drink from the bottle in her hand. She knew this was it, it was time for her to reach out and grab the chance she had been waiting for. "Maybe I've seen how truly beautiful you are, inside and out, not that I didn't know that already, but maybe it's different now. It could be the fact that you see the real me, the one I don't show anyone else and you accept me for it, faults and all…," Naomi shrugged as she scrambled to find the words she needed, "or it could just be that I find you extremely attractive and sexy as hell."_

 _Emily blushed deeply, she knows she did_ _,_ _as Naomi's eyes glinted in the dying sunlight. "Wow." Such a simple word that left her lips, but it held so much meaning between them. "I…why…I didn't know…," Emily stuttered, feeling like an idiot, but speech wasn't possible at the moment._

 _Naomi scooted closer to Emily, and looked into her eyes, bringing her hand up to cup her cheek. "When I'm with you, I feel like a better person. You make me feel like I can do anything, Emmybear and even if we don't take this any further you are, and always have been, the most important person in my world."_

" _I feel something special with you, that I've never felt with anyone else." Emily admitted, quietly. "If we do this, Naoms…if we take this to the next level and something happens…," she left the implication hanging between them, as Naomi shifted even closer._

" _Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Naomi asked with a shaking voice, her need for Emily was so huge that she practically vibrated with it._

" _Make love to me, Naoms?" She asked quietly, a bit embarrassed, but enough to stop the desire from burning through her system._

 _Naomi took a few minutes to gaze at her best friend, trying to determine if Emily had spoken at all or if it was just her imagination, until Emily pulled her close and kissed her._

" _Are you sure about this?" Naomi's voice was whispered, breaking the silence that had previously blanketed them, as she broke their kiss._

 _Emily shivered as Naomi's breath fluttered along her neck, driving her crazy with lust. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life." She whispered back and meant it._

* * *

"It's been a great past few months, Naoms. Even with all my thinking and insecurities, yeah?" Emily stated after minutes of silent reflection, turning her head to look at the blonde. "And really, if you think about it, what's more special than our secret spot?"

They smiled at each other, Naomi squeezed Emily's hand and Emily returned the gesture, before leaning in toward Naomi and kissing her lips gently. They spent minutes exploring each other with lips on lips, teeth on skin.

Emily pulled away, getting to her knees and gripped the hem of Naomi's shirt, tugging it up and off as the blonde sat up, trying to follow Emily's lips. "I'm done thinking about this, Naoms…," she looked Naomi in the eye, and as the moonlight filtered down between the tree tops, the blonde smiled, "I want this. I want to see if this can be something more. I want you. Right here. Right now." She punctuated each statement with a kiss.

Naomi felt as if a dam had burst inside her, the sound of Emily's low husky voice and her gentle kisses was too much. She grasped the bottom of Emily's shirt and tugged it up and over, flinging it behind her as she felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her.

Emily gasped as Naomi flipped them around, and laid her back down on the blanket, running her hands along Emily's bare skin, coming to rest just beneath her bra-clad breasts. She waited for Naomi to make some sort of move, and when it looked like she was hesitating, Emily took the initiative to reach underneath herself and undo the clasp, shrugging the silky underwear off.

" _Jesus_ …," Naomi moaned as Emily's breasts came into view.

This time she didn't hesitate as she reached out, feeling the softness of Emily's left breast in her hand, bending her head down to wrap her lips around Emily's right nipple. Emily moaned as the instant jolt of electricity from Naomi's touch shot through her and heat pooled in her stomach.

This is what she had been saving herself for, Emily thought. Sure, she had pleasured herself, many times over the years, because being around Naomi at times was too much for her young body to handle, so it was easy to give in to self exploration, but she had always known that this is what she wanted.

Naomi's hands on her. Naomi's lips on her. Naomi inside of her.

Emily gasped again as Naomi's lips and tongue started exploring her body in ways she only imagined. "Fuck, Naoms!" She moaned out breathlessly, panting as Naomi reached down to undo the button on her jeans, pulling them and her knickers off in one go.

Naomi had sat up on her knees, taking in the sight of a naked Emily and was blown away by the vision. Every rational thought left her except one.

This was Emily's first time. She didn't think about the ramifications of taking this step, only that she _had_ to take this step. She didn't think about all the girls that had come before Emily, she didn't think about Cook. None of it mattered.

Only _they_ mattered.

Right here and now mattered and as Naomi slowly ran her hands and lips along Emily's legs, working her way back to where she really wanted to be, smiling to herself as Emily moaned in pleasure. She explored every inch of skin she found, mapping out the territory and committing it to memory. Every spot that brought out a gasp or a moan was filed away for later, as Naomi spread Emily's legs wider and gazed longingly at Emily's cunt. Running her tongue up the inside of her left thigh, felt as Emily shuddered as she blew a teasing breath across Emily's centre, but backed away when the younger girl bucked her hips toward her, then ran her tongue down Emily's other thigh.

"Ems, I'm gonna ease you into this, yeah?" Naomi stated after kissing her way back up Emily's body, totally bypassing Emily's throbbing centre. "This is gonna be all about you right now, and I want you to tell me if I hurt you, okay?"

Emily didn't say anything, merely nodded her head in agreement, waiting nervously.

Naomi wouldn't accept that though, and shook her head. "No, Ems…you have to say it. Out loud, you have to tell me yes or no."

Emily swallowed thickly as the nerves she was feeling seemed to lodge in her throat. "Yes, I want this."

Naomi smiled down at the redhead, then kissed her slowly at first, reaching her hand down to feel the heat, stroking Emily's folds and making her moan against Naomi's mouth. It amazed the blonde how wet Emily was, and knowing that she was the only one who had ever been here, the only one to give Emily this kind of pleasure, aroused her more than ever before.

When Emily started bucking her hips, Naomi knew it was time and pulled away from Emily's lips to make her way down Emily's body, spreading the redhead's legs again and keeping her eyes locked on wide brown eyes. When she reached the spot she was aiming for, Naomi stared in wonder, unashamed at the longing she felt and knew she had to taste Emily. She leant forward, inhaling Emily's unique scent and almost came, it was only the thought of this being Emily's first time that had Naomi denying her own release as she focused on the sight before her.

"Naoms…please?" Emily whimpered, the fire that Naomi's touch had ignited becoming too much to bear, and she begged.

"As you wish, Emmybear…," Naomi trailed off as she leant back down and tasted Emily for the first time.

Naomi came to Emily's clit and swiped her tongue across it and it felt like the world exploded at the contact. For both of them.

Stars burst across Emily's vision as Naomi's tongue danced its way across her aching pussy, firing off little jolts of electricity throughout her body. She knew that she wouldn't last long, as Naomi licked and nipped at her swollen clit, and Emily knew she would come soon. It was building, had been building for some time now, in the pit of her stomach and coursed its way down to where Naomi's mouth was.

"Fuck…Naoms…I'm not gonna…fuck…," Emily's orgasm hit like a freight train, and she thrashed about uncontrollably as Naomi didn't stop her lips and tongue from exploring. It had started with a pulsating feeling, then her head felt like it was spinning, and her body started shaking uncontrollably. "Jesus, _fuck_ …oh...oh…I'm coming again…," the words were drawn out as a second wave of pleasure rocked her immediately, causing her to feel as if she was about to float away and she grabbed a fistful of Naomi's hair to keep herself grounded, which only spurred Naomi on.

Naomi kept her mouth moving on Emily's clit as the aftershocks caused her body to quiver, and she decided to take the opportunity to explore more and ran her finger through Emily's folds, gathering as much moisture as she could before she entered the redhead with one finger. Naomi wanted Emily to adjust slowly to her, so took her time and eased into Emily's tight pussy. She made sure to keep up the pressure on Emily's swollen bundle of nerves to distract her, and she knew that Emily was edging toward another orgasm. She could feel it in the way Emily's body started to spasm again and as the redhead cried out that she was coming, Naomi pulled her mouth away from Emily and pushed her finger all the way in until the palm of her hand came to rest against Emily's clit.

It was like watching a volcano erupt as Emily arched her back up off the floor, while Naomi slowly pulled her finger out and pushing it back in, rubbing her palm against Emily's bundle of nerves, working toward her fourth orgasm. When it finally hit the younger girl, Naomi watched in amazement as Emily's eyes rolled back into her head, and again arched her back up off the blanket. Naomi thought for sure Emily was going to break, until a long moan escaped her lips and Emily went totally limp.

Naomi started to remove her finger, but Emily stopped her by reaching her . "Not yet…," she spawned as Naomi's palm rubbed against her sensitive clit, "…I just…one minute…,"

Naomi laid her head on Emily's thigh and smiled against her soft skin, as she finally allowed the redhead to recover. It had been amazing to watch Emily float higher and higher until she crashed over the edge, and Naomi realised it was something she wanted to see for the rest of her life. Naomi wasn't even offended when she heard Emily's breathing start to even out and she noticed the redhead had fallen asleep.

Emily gasped for air, trying to stop panting, as she lay there, underneath Naomi. She knew she didn't have the words to say, no way to verbally thank her best friend for what had just happened between them. She closed her eyes, swearing it would only be for a few minutes, but she drifted off into a peaceful, relaxed sleep.

She woke up sometime later, Naomi beside her and her heavy blanket draped over them, as the fire was down to coals. Emily breathed a sigh of relief, because she thought for sure she had dreamt what had happened. As she snuggled back into Naomi's side, the thought flashed through her mind that she had totally left Naomi hanging.

' _Fuck! She must think I'm such a bitch!_ ' Emily thought to herself, as she realised how selfish she had been. Then the nerves of doing to Naomi what Naomi had done to her set in. ' _What if I'm shit at it? What if I fuck it up and do it wrong?_ ' Over and over the thoughts swirled through Emily's mind, and she started panicking.

Naomi felt Emily fidgeting next to her and she tightened her arms around her. "Settle down, Ems…we don't need to get up." She replied, sleepily.

Emily froze, as embarrassment and fear took over. "Naoms?" She whispered tearfully in the dark, needing Naomi to help calm her down.

Naomi popped one eye open, noticing that it was still dark, and focused on Emily. "What's wrong, babes?"

Emily opened her mouth a few times to tell her, but nothing came out and she ended up crying softly, burying her face in the crook of Naomi's neck. She mumbled something incoherently, causing Naomi to smile.

"Emmybear, I can't understand you when you mutter." She said lightly, afraid that Emily was regretting what happened, as she pulled away to get a good look at the younger girl. "Babe, please…tell me what's wrong."

Emily finally look up at Naomi and swallowed back the nerves. "What if I'm not as good as you at…you know?" She blushed deeply, feeling like a prude all of a sudden.

Naomi's smile got bigger as she took in the adorable way Emily's face looked in the moonlight. She pulled away completely to sit up, wrapping one of the blankets around her and started adding wood to the fire, stoking it to get it going again. "You're worried about your first time…with a woman, I get it." She understood Emily's fear and tried to comfort her friend. "It's not about doing it right or doing it wrong, Ems, it's about the connection, ya know? It's about talking with your partner, finding out what they like or don't like, that's all. There's really no big mystery, Emmybear." Naomi said with a grin, causing Emily to chuckle.

"But what if you hate it? What if I start to…," Emily blushed again.

"Go down on me? Eat me? Muff dive?" Naomi threw out suggestions, smiling. "Emily, if you can't even say it, how do expect to do it?"

' _Yeah, Emsy! You've thought about doing it long enough, but you can't even say the words out loud!_ ' Emily's inner voice mocked her as she thought about Naomi's words. She sat up and scooted closer to Naomi, smiled as the blonde opened up the blanket to allow her in. "I want to, Naoms."

"You don't have to, Ems. There's no rush, ya know." Naomi looked at her, with another smile. "Besides, I love that it's all about you right now. It's incredibly sexy and watching you come is a huge turn on."

Emily felt herself blush again as Naomi spoke. "It's just that I feel selfish, I'd hate it if you thought I was a pillow princess."

Naomi snorted out laughter and rolled her eyes. "Emily Jane! Where did you hear that?" She asked, nudging Emily with her shoulder.

"What? I'm not a child, you know." Emily muttered, ducking her head. "I'm just saying, is all."

Naomi's laughter simmered down. "Look Ems, I wasn't lying when I said tonight was all about you, okay?" She turned so she could look Emily in the face, taking Emily's hands in hers and giving them a gentle squeeze. "Please believe me, yeah? It's all about making you feel good and comfortable and safe. And really, do you have any regrets? About what we did, I mean?" She clarified as she saw Emily's look of doubt.

"None." Emily stated, emphatically.

Naomi smiled at the response, then felt the urge to kiss her, so she leant down and did just that. "Good. Because I plan for this to happen more often, are you up for that?"

Emily felt the heat pool in her stomach again, and smiled. "Absolutely."

"Well, how about we get started right now?" Naomi asked as she wrapped her arms around Emily and laid her back down on the blanket.

Emily laughed as she cupped Naomi's cheeks, bringing her closer so she could kiss those lips. "If you insist, Naoms."

"I most definitely insist, Emmybear."

The rest of that night and into the early hours of the next morning found Naomi showering Emily with as much passion, lust, and love she could as she stroked and licked and kissed every inch of Emily's body. Emily finally had to push Naomi away, her overly sensitive body crying out for a break.

They watched the sun rise through the trees, as they cuddled close under the blankets and Emily kept going over everything that had happened. With a hazy smile, she relived every glorious touch Naomi bestowed upon her and knew it was possible to fall deeper in love.

Emily and Naomi drifted off into a blissful, deep sleep, each of them dreaming about a life with each other and for the first time, Emily wasn't afraid of what would happen when Naomi found out about her secret.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I'm gonna leave it there for now...just a little FYI, this story will only have a few more chapters to it. So I'm off to start writing the next chap of this and work on CN.**

 **Thanks for the reviews/reads/alerts/faves, you guys are the best!**

 **Love,**

 **Marci**


	9. Chapter 9: With Your Lips On Mine

**A/N:** **HELLO MY PEOPLE!**

 **I am sooooooo sorry for the delay in posting, i never meant for so much time to pass. Please accept my apologies?**

 **Here's a little chapter, to ease myself back into this, and i know there wont be too many more chapters of this one, but don't worry, I've still got Constructing Naomily to work on and finish and I seriously have a couple more that I'm working on, and lets not forget the exciting writing prompt challenges on our forum that Mswitsend, TheAeacusProject and I have started doing! We are super excited about that, and super huge shoutout to dammit naomily for posting and joining in on the challenge. If you haven't had a chance, stop in and check out the forum, The Skins Fic book Club...**

 **As always, massive love to my bff MsWitsEnd, my partner in crime...**

 **huge shoutout to TheAeacusProject, mate, you rock...all the time, you rock!**

 **and massive hugs to dammit naomily...thank you for joining the fandom!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own skins, but I do own a really swanky 20v cordless drill...hahahahahahahahaha!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: With Your Lips On Mine**

Emily woke up feeling rested and relaxed. She laid completely still on the forest floor, feeling the weight of Naomi on top of her and she smiled, thinking about last night.

' _Wow_!' She thought to herself. She had dreamt about it for so long, but the reality of sleeping with Naomi blew every imagined scenario out of the water.

When Naomi had found out that Emily was a virgin, the twin thought for sure that Naomi would run a mile in the opposite direction, but she didn't. Instead, Naomi was gentle and sweet and patient, and more than Emily could've ever hoped for. The things she felt under Naomi's experienced touch was mind blowing and she had been true to her word, making it all about Emily and giving her as much pleasure as possible.

Emily could feel her body vibrating as she lay there, listening to Naomi's gentle snoring as she slept. She slowly moved out from under the blonde and rolled onto her side and looked at the girl next to her. Her lover. It sounded oddly strange, yet perfect as she said it again in her head. ' _Naomi Campbell is my lover_.' Emily kept repeating to herself, allowing the words to take shape and meaning, as she watched the rise and fall of Naomi's chest, and the way she had rolled over, flinging her left arm to cover her eyes, as if to block out the light. That blonde hair that was as familiar to Emily as her own, was adorably mussed and Emily had to fight the urge to sigh at the cuteness of it all.

It wasn't until Naomi moved again and the blanket shifted, leaving her chest uncovered, that Emily felt the punch of desire hit her. It reminded her of what she had been doing the night before and she reached out with shaking fingers to trace along the bare skin, using the gentlest touch.

Emily leant down and started placing kisses along Naomi's shoulders, working her way down to those wonderfully naked breasts. Naomi started to stir then, and Emily smiled as she wrapped her lips around a quickly hardening nipple, whilst her fingers played with the other one.

She remembered Naomi doing this to her last night, and it was easily one of the best sensations Emily had ever experienced on top of everything else Naomi had done and thinking about it now in the light of day, she really, _really_ wanted to repay the favour.

Naomi moaned as she felt a heat pooling between her thighs and remembered where she was. "Fuck, Ems…," she trailed off as Emily gently bit down on her nipple and tugged before switching over to the other one, whilst her hand started to make its way down.

She reached up and ran her hand through Emily's hair, as the younger girl kept up her mix of soft licks and teasing bites, but she needed more. She needed to taste Emily, she needed to breathe her, so she gently pulled Emily away from her left breast and stared into those brown eyes, getting caught up in them and almost forgot why she had stopped the twin in the first place.

"Kiss me?" Naomi pleaded, desperate to have Emily's lips on hers, and when Emily heard that she smiled that smile that always seemed to stop the breath from going where it needed to go. "Jesus, Ems, please…just…come up here and kiss me."

Emily laughed at the sound of Naomi's voice, but her hand had reached its destination and her fingers traced through Naomi's wetness. "Someone's excited this morning." Emily murmured as she glanced down at her fingers, her curiosity rising. "I wonder what would happen if I did this?" She said quietly, almost as if she'd forgotten that she wasn't alone, and she pushed one finger slowly into Naomi's dripping centre.

"Jesus!" Naomi moaned out, feeling herself clench around Emily's finger. She saw stars as Emily pushed in and out a couple of times before adding another finger and she felt her hips start to buck.

Emily watched in fascination as Naomi started to move beneath her and she could feel the wet heat on her hand as she pulled out and marveled at the evidence of Naomi's arousal. Once again Emily's curiosity was too much and the urge to taste her best friend was too great to pass up as she slowly brought her two fingers to her mouth. She looked up as Naomi gasped when she realised what was about to happen, and she smiled deviously.

"You want a good morning kiss, babes?" Emily asked, her voice dropping at least one octave in her aroused state.

Naomi felt her cunt clench again when Emily spoke, something about that voice had always had an effect on her, and her throat suddenly dried up, making her reply sound strangled. "Please, Ems?"

"As you wish…," she trailed off and took her fingers in her mouth, tasting Naomi for the first time, making sure to clean every drop. "Fuck me, Naoms…," Emily finished licking her fingers, enjoying the taste on her tongue and thought about burying her face between Naomi's legs.

Naomi had enough teasing as she pulled Emily up, so they were eye to eye and she practically growled. "I need your lips on mine, now." She was demanding, she could tell by the way Emily's eyes widened, but she couldn't help it. She had waited for too long to kiss Emily, dreaming about it for years and now that she was allowed to, Naomi didn't want to waste an opportunity. "Please kiss me."

Emily surged forward and connected their lips together, at first chaste and hesitant, but when Emily opened her mouth allowing Naomi to enter her, Naomi tasted herself on Emily's tongue as she stroked it with her own and turned the kiss into something deeper, something more visceral. The forest around them changed from hushed silence to echoed moans, as both girls tried to get closer to one another and it wasn't until Emily was in need of oxygen that they pulled away, panting for air.

"I want…," Emily started but felt the blush working its way up her face, unsure of how to ask for what she wanted, "I-I mean…,"

Naomi smirked up at her and wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible. "Ems, just…ya know, do what comes naturally, yeah? Do what makes you feel good, babes."

Emily smiled shyly, but there was a glint in her eye as she pulled further away from Naomi and used her fingers to trail a path down along smooth skin that caused sparks of heat. She settled herself between Naomi's legs, and fought against the nerves that had flared up, her hands shaking as she gently pushed Naomi's thighs open.

The twin could only stare, having dreamt about doing this for so long she was paralysed as her desire and her nerves battled each other, until Naomi reached down to run a hand through her hair soothing her. Emily finally broke free from her fear and slowly ran her tongue though Naomi's wet folds, groaning in pleasure as Naomi gasped at the touch.

Naomi was a drug that Emily just couldn't seem to get enough of, as she allowed the desire she felt in her stomach to take over. She explored Naomi's dripping centre using her hands and her mouth, taking her friend higher towards orgasm. Naomi's body had started undulating, the movement almost distracting Emily from her mission, so she gripped Naomi's hips to keep her in place, until she discovered the little bundle of nerves that would push the blonde towards release.

As Emily gently nipped and sucked on Naomi's clit, keeping up a steady rhythm with her fingers as they moved in and out, speeding up when Naomi reached back down and ran her fingers through Emily's hair until she had a fistful and tugged gently, spurring Emily on.

"Jesus fuck, Ems…," Naomi moaned loudly, on the edge but not quite there yet. "Baby, I need you to make me come. Curl your fingers."

Emily heard her but was suddenly confused and self-conscious as she lifted her head up. "What?" She asked, slowing her movements but never stopping her fingers from plunging in and out.

Naomi almost cried out when Emily stopped using her mouth on her, but then she remembered that she had asked for something. "Your fingers." She panted, as the fire that had started in her pussy was slowly dissipating. "Don't be afraid to explore in there, Ems-," she tried to be flippant, but she didn't get very far.

She was cut off as Emily took her advice, curling her fingers in search of that one spot that would tip Naomi over the edge. Emily smiled when her fingers brushed against a spongy spot and Naomi's body vibrated before tensing up.

"Jesus…yes, oh fuck yes…I'm gonna…fuck, I'm-," Naomi moaned out loudly when Emily started licking her again, because she finally reached the peak and when her orgasm hit, it was all Emily could do to keep her grounded. She was lost in a world that she had only dreamt about for as long as she could remember, knowing that only Emily would ever make her feel like this. The emotions were getting to be too much for Naomi, and she knew that she was crying, she could feel the tears fall as she rode out the pleasure that Emily was making her feel.

Emily was pretty sure her fingers were broken, the way Naomi's body tightened up when she came made it so Emily had a hard time moving them, but she didn't stop, knew that she couldn't stop until Naomi was totally spent.

When both girls quieted down and the forest around them again turn silent, Emily slowly pulled her fingers out and because Naomi was watching her through wet, heavy-lidded eyes, took them into her mouth and cleaned them. She smiled when Naomi groaned loudly at the sight and kissed her way back up to Naomi's lips, kissing her deeply before settling into Naomi.

"Jesus, Emmybear…," Naomi sighed, quickly brushing eyes, as she reached down to grab their discarded blanket and covered them back up, then she wrapped an arm around Emily, effectively becoming the big spoon, "that was…,"

"Was it shit?" Emily asked quietly, those nerves kicking back in, because she had seen the tears in Naomi's eyes and felt certain that she was regretting everything.

Naomi squeezed her tight at the question. "Fuck no, Jesus, Ems…I've never…it's never…," She was fighting to find the right words, not wanting to sound like a total mong. She placed a kiss on Emily's cheek, lingering until she felt Emily smile, "I've never had an orgasm that powerful, no one's ever made me feel the way you make me feel, Ems."

Emily still wasn't a hundred percent convinced and she needed to know. "Why were you crying?" She asked as she rolled over to look at Naomi.

"Because it was just so…so…fucking beautiful, Ems." Naomi said, telling her the truth, not caring if she sounded like a love struck git. "You made me feel fucking wonderful, yeah? I'm sorry if you thought I hated it, but seriously, babes...," she leant forward to nip a quick kiss before pulling back, "if we can manage it, I'd love for you to do that as much as possible."

Emily searched for any sign of a lie, but only found Naomi to be sincere, feeling the smile on her face as Naomi yawned. "Does someone need a nappy nap?" Emily teased.

"Shut it, you and give me cuddles." Naomi said with mock sternness and wrapped her other arm around Emily, settling in for more sleep.

Emily laughed against Naomi's shoulder. She allowed herself a few moments to calm down and realised that she had gotten everything she'd ever wanted. It was only as she started to drift off to sleep that the black cloud of her secret crept over everything she was feeling.

* * *

" _ **Oi, you've reached Cook. I can't answer at the moment but leave yer name and digits and I'll get back to ya when I can."**_

 _ **Beep!**_

"Cook, it's me…I really need to talk to you."

" _ **Oi, you've reached Cook. I can't answer at the moment but leave yer name and digits and I'll get back to ya when I can."**_

 _ **Beep!**_

"Cook, seriously…I need to talk to you, please call me back as soon as you get this!"

" _ **Oi, you've reached Cook. I can't answer at the moment but leave yer name and digits and I'll get back to ya when I can."**_

 _ **Beep!**_

"Fuck me!" Emily shouted as her latest call went to voicemail again.

She had been trying to get ahold of Cook since Sunday night, but had been unable to do so. Emily was desperate to talk to him about what happened with Naomi. Come to think of it, he had been strangely absent for the past few months, and now she was starting to worry, thinking he was slipping back in to old habits.

Emily blushed deeply whenever she thought of the weekend spent with Naomi, but quickly pushed those thoughts from her head, as she tried calling another number and screamed in frustration when again she was sent to voicemail.

" _ **The person you are trying to reach has a mailbox that is full-,"**_

Leave it to Katie to not check her messages. Emily shook her head and rattled off a text to her sister to call as soon as possible and then sat on her bed staring out her window. It didn't take long for Emily to reminisce, as she laid down and stretched out. A smile spread across her face as she remembered the way Naomi looked in the moonlight and how gentle she had been and then yesterday morning, when Emily finally reciprocated.

Emily's whole world exploded the minute she tasted Naomi. It was like touching a live wire and not even caring about electrocution. Emily sighed deeply, needing to talk to Cook. She needed to talk about what had happened and she knew she'd never be able to really talk to Katie about it.

She was about to try Cook one more time when her mobile started ringing. Emily yelped in surprise, but then smiled as she saw who was calling.

"Hello, beautiful." Emily greeted with a smile.

Naomi laughed into the phone. "Beautiful, yeah. Right. Um," she had to take a deep breath to control her voice, as she felt the blush heat her cheeks, because Emily called her beautiful, "so, I was wondering what you're doing tonight? I thought maybe we could have dinner and watch a film?"

Emily smiled into the phone and felt her heart race. "You wanna go to the cinema?" She asked, imagining them making out in a dark theatre, suddenly intrigued by the prospect.

"Well, we could do, if you want," Naomi said quietly, as her assistant stepped into her office, informing her of her meeting, "I'll be right there. Ems, I've gotta run, but I was thinking of a night in. Mum is going out with Kieran tonight and I'll be all alone."

"Sounds good. I'll cook, yeah? What time are you planning to be home?" Emily asked, glancing at the clock on her wall and thought about what Naomi might like to eat. "How does Mexican sound?"

Naomi chuckled at the thought of the last time Emily made them Mexican food. It had been right after she had met Lisa. Emily had brought over ponchos, sombreros and fake mustaches and demanded that they get into the spirit by trying to be as authentic as possible. Naomi thought it was the best night ever, as they drank homemade sangria, fixed fajitas and danced around the kitchen to the sounds of a mariachi band on cd. Well it had been the best night until Lisa had shown up, and called it childish. The look of sadness on Emily's face should've been enough for Naomi to tell Lisa to leave, but she didn't. Stupidly, she had invited the other girl to stay, and as soon as dinner was over Emily had made excuses to head home.

Naomi shook those thoughts away, determined to have a better night this time around. "That sounds great. I'll be home as soon as I'm done with my meeting."

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit. It gives me time to run to the shops."

They said their goodbyes and Naomi smiled as she gathered what she needed. ' _This time Emily is going to have a fantastic Mexican night!_ ' Naomi promised herself as she walked to the conference room where Effy and their new client were waiting for her.

* * *

Cook laid beside Katie, as she slept peacefully. He smiled as a yawn escaped him, thinking about what they had been doing all afternoon that made them so tired. This was his third trip to London this week alone and he knew that he'd eventually get called out on skiving off work, but he couldn't help it. Katie just made him want to forget about the real world.

He was ready to wake up the older twin when his mobile chimed. Cook reached for it, groaning when he saw three texts from his boss and seven missed calls from Emily. Neither was anyone he wanted to deal with at the moment but as he placed it back on the night stand, Katie's mobile started ringing, effectively waking up his girlfriend.

"Fuck! Four missed calls from Emily." Katie said quietly, as she sat up.

"I had seven." Cook chuckled, watching as Katie grabbed her robe and put it on. "We've gotta tell her, babes."

"You think I don't know that!" Katie snapped out, the guilt she was feeling making her irritable. "I'm sorry, James…it's just…," she trailed off quietly.

Cook shook his head as he too got up and started to dress. "It's just what, Katie? What, you like keeping me your dirty little secret?" He snapped back at her over his shoulder, wondering why that thought hurt so much.

"James, you know that's not how I feel." Katie pleaded desperately with him, wishing she was braver. Wishing she had the balls to tell Emily the truth. "I don't know why I'm so afraid to tell her, okay? I wish I knew, but all I know is every time I think about setting Emily down and telling her, I feel sick to my stomach."

Cook scoffed loudly as he tugged his shirt down. "I make you sick to your stomach? That's just fucking great, Kay!" He stormed out her bedroom and made his way to the lounge, looking for his boots with Katie following behind. "If that's how you feel, maybe we should end this."

"That's not what I said, James…wait…did you-," Katie stood still, as Cook's words paralysed her into inaction. "A-are you b-breaking up with me? Is that w-what you want?" The heartbreak was clear as she voiced her questions.

Cook stopped tying his laces, sighing deeply. "No, Katie that's _not_ what I want. I want to be open about how I feel about you, okay? Ya know, when we were younger," he paused to gather his thoughts, "when I was younger, I wouldn't have given two shits about keeping us secret. I was a real tosser back then, but _now_? _Now_ I want everyone to know you're my girl. I want you to be proud of the man I've become despite my past, and I wanna share this with my best mate."

Katie didn't realise that she was crying, until Cook stood up and crossed over to were she was standing to wipe the tears off her face. "I'm sorry, James. I'm so sorry." She hugged him tight, afraid that if he walked out her door, that he'd never come back. "I can't stand this. The distance, and the hours in between, I hate that I'm forcing us to keep hidden."

Cook relented and wrapped his arms around Katie, squeezing her gently to let her know that everything would be okay. "I'm sorry too, babe. It's just…I don't want this, not telling Emily, to become an issue, yeah? I don't want her to find out some other way and have her think that this is anything less than what it is. I couldn't stand it if she thought that the two of us have gone back to shagging just anyone and using each other in the mean time."

Katie shook her head. "She wouldn't think that. She was always trying to get me to date you when we were younger." Katie protested, working herself up again.

"Which is why we need to tell her." Cook cupped Katie's face, making sure to get her attention. "It's not fair to any of us, yeah?"

Katie nodded, knowing he was right. "So…are we…," she heard the insecurity in her voice, and she tried to control it, but it was hard, "are we good?"

Cook leant down and kissed her, putting as much into it as he could. "Yeah, babes," he said as he pulled away, smiling at her, "we're good. But I'm serious, soon we'll tell Emily, yeah? And if you're still not ready, I'll do it on me own." He waited until she nodded her agreement. "Alright then, I've gotta bounce. I've got a meeting with my boss and I have to convince him not to bin my ass."

Katie and Cook said their goodbyes. She stood in her doorway and watched as he jumped in his truck, speeding off toward Bristol. Once his taillights vanished from her view, Katie felt a lump in her throat not knowing when she'd see him again. She wasn't lying when she said she hated the distance between them, it had caused some petty jealousy to flare up from both of them a time or two and Katie really couldn't see that changing unless they were honest with everyone and closer to each other.

She sighed deeply, then turned to go back inside where she picked up her mobile and tried calling Emily. ' _Might as well get this over with.'_ She thought to herself as it rang straight through to voicemail. "Ugh! Why'd she call if she wasn't going to answer?" Katie said out loud, tossing her mobile down and stood up to pace.

Something was settling in around her as the day went one. She didn't have classes and she hadn't made plans for the night, hoping that she'd been able to talk Cook into staying. It didn't hit Katie until she was watching the sun sink lower in the sky, slipping down past the buildings surrounding her flat, casting a pink and purplish hue across the sky.

For the first time in Katie's life, she was lonely. That thought alone shook her right to her core, as a plan started to take shape to fix it.

* * *

Naomi stepped into her house and inhaled quickly as the scents from the kitchen hit her. "Hmmm, smells fucking wonderful, Ems!" She shouted from the hallway, as she set her stuff down and threw her jacket on the hook, the unmistakable smell of Mexican food hanging in the air throughout the house.

"Hey, Naoms! Dinner's almost ready." Emily informed her with a smile, popping her head round the corner. "You timed that just right."

"You know me," Naomi smirked, stepping closer to the redhead, taking a minute to give her a quick kiss, "it's all about timing with me."

Emily laughed, her eyes shining bright as walked back into the kitchen. "Right. Why don't you time your way through washing up and come eat, yeah?"

Naomi chuckled but did as she was asked and headed up the stairs. "I'll be down shortly!" She called as she went up, then made her way to her room to find the things she needed to complete the night.

Once she found everything, right down to the cd, Naomi quickly changed into sweats and a t-shirt, completing her outfit before heading back down. She quietly stepped into the kitchen, smiled as she saw Emily at the stove with her back to her, and reached over to the little CD player her mum kept on the countertop.

The first strains of _El rey_ came through the tiny speakers, Emily jumped. "Fuck sakes, Naoms!" She snapped as she turned around to glare. "What the-?" Emily raked her gaze over Naomi's body, taking in the colourful ensemble that her lover had on. "What are you wearing?"

"You don't recognise it?" Naomi asked cheekily, smirking at the redhead. "I've got yours right here." She held up the poncho and sombrero that she'd dug out from her closet. "No mustaches though, but I think we should be set, don't you?"

Emily stood there transfixed on the sight in front of her and felt a giggle bubble through her. "Are those from…," she paused, touched beyond words that Naomi would remember after all this time.

Naomi gave her a small smile. "Well, I figured since the last time we did a Mexican night it got interrupted and I know that I should've told her to go, I didn't and it ruin the rest of the night." She explained sheepishly, feeling guilty about that incident. "I'm sorry about that, babes. I know I've never apologised for that and I should've."

Emily felt tears sting her eyes. This was definitely the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her and the scattered emotions that Emily had been feeling the past few months on top of what had happened between them over the weekend threatened to overwhelm her. "Thank you. You didn't need to though, but thank you." Emily said quietly, stepping into Naomi personal space to wrap her arms around the older girl's neck, standing on her tiptoes to place gentle kisses on Naomi's lips. She had to pull away when Naomi started to change the depth of the kiss into something more.

"Hey, I was enjoying that!" Naomi pouted playfully.

"Later." Emily turned back to the stove and switched it off. "Dinner's ready and you promised me a movie."

"Whatever." Naomi grumbled jokingly. "Here though, put these on." She helped Emily into the poncho and stuff the sombrero on her head, then ducked down and stole a quick kiss.

Emily pecked her lips in response but then pushed her away, laughing. "No, food! I'm hungry."

Naomi laughed but started setting the table, smiled when Emily pulled a pitcher of sangria out of the fridge and fell even more in love as they sat down and talked about their day, plans for the business and just enjoyed spending time with each other. After they finished eating, they clear everything away and did the dishes before moving into the lounge for the movie. Naomi laughed when Emily baulked at her choice of movie, The Edge of Tomorrow, saying that it was a horrible use of Emily Blunt's talent.

Naomi merely smiled and shrugged before responding, "What can I say? Have you seen how _buff_ she is in this movie?" causing Emily to laugh and cuddle into the blonde.

When the film was over, Naomi led Emily upstairs to her room. A room Emily had been in a million times since she was a little girl, but tonight it was different. Tonight would be the first time in Naomi's room as her lover, and the thought of what they were going to do in Naomi's bed made Emily wet.

That night, Naomi made love to Emily until she saw stars and then some. Once the blonde had allowed the redhead to calm down, Emily found she couldn't move. Naomi draped herself across Emily's body and tucked her face into the crook of Emily's neck.

Before they both drifted into a blissful sleep, Naomi whispered into Emily's ear. "Stay the night with me? Mum won't be home and I really want to wake up with you again, babes."

"Yes." Was all Emily managed to say before her eyes drifted closed, Naomi following close behind.

Both girls had to fight to hold in their secret all night, each afraid of what would happen if the other one knew their truths, but it was Emily that slept fitfully, a recurring nightmare that she had been having for the last few weeks causing her to toss and turn. It was a pretty straightforward nightmare that seemed to run on a loop. Emily would tell Naomi how she was gay and in love with her, and every time, Naomi would get angry and run away.

Emily didn't know how she cried out for Naomi in her sleep or how Naomi wrapped her arms around her friend and held on, afraid that the twin would hurt herself, and Emily didn't know about the tears that would fall as she dreamt and Naomi was scared of what those tears meant even as she brushed them gently away.

Naomi was beginning to think Emily was regretting taking their relationship to this level, but she knew that she wanted this to be a permanent thing between them, so she promised herself as she finally fell asleep to do whatever was possible to make that happen.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for any mistakes i may have made...if you see anything, give me a shoutout and let me know.**

 **Love to you all,**

 **Marci**


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